The Kansas City Chiefs lost four players in their secondary via trade and free agency. Late Monday, they found a gem from a division rival. In losing Safety Bryan Cook to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the day, the Chiefs plucked a starter who was a key contributor with the Baltimore Ravens defense.
When the Chiefs made no effort to re-sign pending free agent Safety Bryan Cook, they had a hole to fill. Though they had other needs to begin the day, it was clear that finding another safety was paramount to the Chiefs’ secondary. Per @Jeremy Fowler, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed former Baltimore Ravens Safety Alohi Gilman to a three-year, $24.5 million deal, with $15 million in guarantees.
He’ll be 29 in September, but the former 2020 sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers was a key member of the Ravens defense last season. He had 50 tackles, one forced fumble, and he should battle Jaden Hicks for the starting free safety spot.
It would appear that Chamarri Connor is the starter at strong safety heading into March. Now, that could change if the Chiefs view Gilma as physically capable of playing both safety positions, but he’s better suited at free safety. One thing that is for certain, Gilma had a low passer rating and might ultimately be an upgrade over Cook.
Either way, it appears Kansas City is paying him decent money, but he could end up being solid depth for the Chiefs’ secondary. The NFL Draft is very deep at Safety and Cornerback, so this was a solid signing by General Manager Brett Veach.
Kansas City has already lost Cook, and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Joshua Williams. The Chiefs are hopeful of adding Seattle Seahawks Cornerback Tariq Woolen, but there is heavy competition for his services. His decision might come down to the Green Bay Packers and the Chiefs.
As for Gilma, he’s a solid defender, strong against the run, and has decent coverage skills. He excelled in Baltimore after starting year with the Chargers.
Stay tuned to ChiefsBlitz.com for all the Chiefs free agency news.
