The [deconstruction of the Kansas City Chiefs' secondary](https://arrowheadaddict.com/chiefs-secondary-suddenly-looks-bleak-after-trent-mcduffie-trade-01kjwy2shbff) is finished. Now it's time for the rebuild.
The Chiefs officially began to add something back to the cornerback position after watching the depth chart bleed out in the last week or so. On the second day of free agency, general manager Brett Veach found a way to [sign former Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou](https://x.com/Schultz_Report/status/2032152801246113982).
The need for a new cornerback
-----------------------------
The Chiefs knew they were facing significant changes in the defensive backfield coming into the offseason since five of their picks from the 2022 NFL Draft class were graduating. First, the Chiefs decided to trade Trent McDuffie in a blockbuster deal to the Los Angeles Rams. From there, other teams signed away one defensive back after another—Jaylen Watson to the Rams, Bryan Cook to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Joshua Williams to the Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs were able to effectively replace Cook with the signing of veteran safety Alohi Gilman to a three-year deal to replenish that position. However, the only holdovers at cornerback before signin Kohou were Kristian Fulton, Nohl Williams, Christian Roland-Wallace, and Kevin Knowles. Each of those players are major variables for one reason or another, which meant K.C. was obviously going to go shopping in free agency and the draft.
Who is Kader Kohou?
-------------------
Kohou was a member of that '22 rookie class himself, except as an undrafted free agent signing out of Texas A&M-Commerce. He landed with the Dolphins and made an immediate impact as a starter in the slot for 13 games in his rookie year. He returned in 2023 and started 16 more games. He was used slightly less in 2024 as part of a larger rotation, but he remained an essential part of the Dolphins secondary—never playing less than 76 percent of snaps.
The Dolphins were hoping to see more from Kohou in 2025, knowing he was in his contract season _and_ that he was the lone holdover for a team that lost Kendall Fuller and Jalen Ramsey. Unfortunately, Kohou was lost to a torn ACL in the preseason and was lost for the year. That cost him and the team at a critical juncture for both.
Kohou's fit with the Chiefs
---------------------------
Now the Chiefs land Kohou as a rebound candidate coming off of major injury who has proven able to play major minutes inside. The McDuffie trade robbed K.C. of their best slot defender, and their efforts to throw safety Chamarri Conner into that role has only led to frustrations. While K.C. still needs help on the boundary, it made sense for Veach to do some discount shopping for some (hopefully) reliable help inside.
If Kohou's medicals look good, the Chiefs fill an important role here in Steve Spagnuolo's secondary with a player who'd previously been very reliable. He plays better in man coverage and should be a solid option for the Chiefs going into the draft to keep them from feeling like they have to reach. The downsides here are the health concerns and the lack of versatility, since Kohou should not be playing outside for any amount of time.
Kohou has played 25 percent of his reps outside in 2023-24, but that doesn't mean he belongs there. He should be viewed as a primary competitor for slot corner reps with special teams experience looking to build back some market value in a bounce-back season.