Not every offseason acquisition an NFL team makes — whether it is a draft pick or a free agent — will follow through on what may be expected of them. For the Kansas City Chiefs, this could be free agent Alohi Gilman, according to Bleacher Report's Moe Moton in his prediction of every NFL team's biggest bust of the 2026 season.
In the offseason, Kansas City signed Gilman to a three-year, $24 million deal. Regardless of his performance this season, the Chiefs may still carry the safety on the roster for the next two years at least because of this contract. Gilman will receive $7.5 million of his guaranteed $15 million this next season.
What does Gilman's NFL background mean for the Chiefs defense?
Gilman was a sixth-round draft pick for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. Midway through the 2025 season, Gilman moved from the AFC West to the AFC North when he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Now back in the AFC West, this season will be his first year with the Chiefs. Gilman proved to have elevated the Ravens' defense, but can he do the same for Kansas City?
After the loss of three very key defensive players, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook, the Chiefs were looking for some much-needed stability and veteran leadership for the rookies and the team as a whole. As Gilman goes into his seventh NFL season, Kansas City is hoping that he will bring just that. After all, he has six seasons of experience under his belt.
Kansas City's long-time defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, will be expecting Gilman to play a key role in coverage, along with fellow safeties, Chamarri Conner and Jaden Hicks. If he can't live up to those expectations — and if Gilman's past statistics reflect anything, it's that BR's prediction could very well ring true.
According to Bleacher Report, in Gilman's previous seasons, he has missed 11 percent of his tackle attempts, having only 90 total tackles. In his NFL career so far, Gilman has 316 total tackles, 198 of them being solo tackles and 117 assisted tackles. In four of six of those seasons, he has allowed a passer rating of 104 or higher, which could be bad news for the Chiefs if they can't rely on him when it comes to coverage or run support.
Gilman is currently listed as active on the Chiefs' roster, and as training camp approaches in the next few weeks, Kansas City will be looking at Gilman's performance closely.
