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Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo’s response on S Jaden Hicks is interesting.
Down the stretch of the 2024-25 campaign, the writing seemed to be on the wall for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense. With safety Justin Reid set to become a free agent, a youth movement at that spot appeared inevitable.
That was deemed especially the case given the rise of then-rookie safety Jaden Hicks. The fourth-round pick came on strong over the course of his debut season. That created a hype train for an encore in 2025-26, although that hasn’t been in the cards.
Many fans were — and still are — quick to blame the personnel preferences of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Upon further review, that might not be the full picture.
Steve Spagnuolo Issues Surprising Answer to Confusing Jaden Hicks Situation
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Spagnuolo was asked about Hicks’ sophomore effort. The legendary coordinator alluded to a roller coaster of a year, including plenty Hicks can do better to earn more reps.
Spagnuolo’s answer presents itself as a performance-based issue as much as a tendency one.
“I think if you asked Jaden, he’d tell you he’s kind of had an up-and-down season,” Spagnuolo said. “But there have been flashes of good football play there. We’re going to need him now as we get down the stretch here. Mike Edwards is a crafty vet, he’s filled in there. I’ve brought him in a couple times, and he’s made some mistakes I wouldn’t have thought he would’ve made in his second season, but I like the way he gets himself ready for games. Hopefully, we get some good play out of him.”
Don’t get it twisted: Hicks is seeing the field. In 13 games, he’s played 353 defensive snaps, 23 more than his rookie-year total in a 17-game season. His percentage of reps has spiked from 31 to 46, too. This isn’t a benching or anything of the sort. Hicks remains a cog in the machine that is the Chiefs’ defense.
It isn’t what plenty of folks had in mind, however. Naturally, Bryan Cook leads the safety room with 588 total snaps in 2025. He’s followed by Hicks, then versatile chess piece Chris Roland-Wallace at 190 and Edwards at 83. It’s Sunday’s Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans, which was without Roland-Wallace due to him going on injured reserve, that sparked confusion.
Edwards played 37 defensive snaps, good for 53% of those available. Hicks, meanwhile, got on the field for just 11 reps — a 16% share. That isn’t the role envisioned for the former Washington State standout.
In year No. 2, Hicks has a career-high 31 tackles. On the flip side, his passer rating allowed in coverage jumped from 59.2 in 2024 to an ugly 123.9 in 2025. He’s also seeing 18.3% more passes completed against him.
Spagnuolo likely wants to see less fluctuation, thus why Hicks isn’t a sure-fire starter.
Assessing Chiefs’ Defensive Outlook Entering Week 15
Week 15 is a critical one for the Chiefs. In order to keep their playoff hopes realistically alive, they need to take down the Los Angeles Chargers at home. That’s much easier said than done, especially when considering the nature of bitter AFC West rivals. Week 1’s matchup between the two clubs saw the Chargers score 27, which was more than enough to escape with a win in Brazil. Can a different outcome be achieved this time around?
The answer is complicated, at least on the defensive end. Spagnuolo’s group ranks seventh in total scoring and ninth in total yards. It’s allowed the third-fewest first downs in the sport. No fourth-down defense trumps the Chiefs’, and only nine red-zone defenses are better. That’s what the positives end, however.
Entering Week 15, Kansas City is 11th in points per drive but 17th in yards per drive. It’s tied for 25th in sacks and 29th in takeaways. Via SumerSports, the Chiefs are 16th in EPA/play on that end, making the case for a middling defense. Perhaps the most damning of all is a No. 26 ranking on third downs. That simply won’t cut it against premier teams.
Part of that stems from a lackluster pass rush. When Kansas City can’t get home with four, Spagnuolo takes players out of coverage to blitz. In cases where that doesn’t work, the results are ugly. Sequences of missed assignments are amplified, thus hinting at why young pieces like Hicks aren’t relied upon as heavily as anticipated.
At this point in the year, Spagnuolo must field players he trusts. Only the next few weeks will tell whether Hicks has earned or will earn that.
Jordan Foote is a seasoned sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com with an emphasis on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. He has years of experience publishing NFL and MLB content for Sports Illustrated’s On SI vertical, in addition to a background in NBA coverage for multiple outlets. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media. He’s based in Kansas City. More about Jordan Foote
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