{"id":80859,"date":"2025-07-19T09:36:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=80859"},"modified":"2025-07-19T09:37:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:37:18","slug":"chiefs-training-preview-kansas-city-let-veteran-starter-go-on-the-belief-young-weapon-will-have-breakout-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=80859","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs training preview: Kansas City let veteran starter go on the belief young weapon will have breakout season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/t_share\/MjE2MzU3ODk2MDA5NTU3NTIz\/usatsi_25222088.jpg\" alt=\"Kansas City Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks (21) returns a blocked field goal attempt by Houston Texans place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (not pictured) for 10 yards during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game.\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When a team has multiple superstars that have big-time contracts like the Chiefs do, they need young guys who are still on their rookie deals to step up.<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City made the tough decision to let veteran safety Justin Reid walk during free agency, as he signed with the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/new-orleans\/\">New Orleans Saints<\/a>\u00a0this past spring. However, the Chiefs felt comfortable doing so because of his replacement, who flashed as a rookie last season.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s-jaden-hicks-will-be-the-chiefs-breakout-player-in-2025\">S Jaden Hicks will be the Chiefs&#8217; breakout player in 2025<\/h2>\n<p>The Chiefs selected Hicks in the fourth round (133rd overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. As a rookie he\u00a0played just over 30% of the defensive snaps last season, recording a team-high three interceptions, five passes defensed, and 29 total tackles.<\/p>\n<p>Hicks played multiple roles for the Kansas City defense in 2024, including\u00a0two-high and single-high coverage looks, as well as\u00a0big nickel and dime packages. In 312 snaps played, he allowed just\u00a02.6 average yards of separation in coverage situations, and gave up only 2.3 yards after the catch per reception.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jaden Hicks played just 31% of defensive snaps in 2024 but led all <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Chiefs<\/a> safeties with a 92.3 PFF tackling grade &amp; ALL KC defenders in INTs with 3!  <\/p>\n<p>Ready for him to LOCK DOWN opponents in 2025? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Gq6fSgqj1c\">pic.twitter.com\/Gq6fSgqj1c<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; All Chief&#39;d Up! (@AllChiefdUp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AllChiefdUp\/status\/1940191185672577250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Hicks will now step into the starting safety role vacated by Reid,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs-news\/jaden-hicks-discusses-mentorship-from-justin-reid-in-2024\/\">who mentored Hicks last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Obviously I&#8217;m kind of playing the role that he was playing this year,&#8221; Hicks stated about Reid during OTAs. &#8220;He really did a great job taking me under his wing. Being savvy, knowing how to disguise his defense a lot, and that&#8217;s a big part of our scheme. He did a really good job with that. And, just setting a good example for what I should look up to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hicks has all the tools he needs to succeed, now he has to put it all together. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will certainly utilize him effectively, and Hicks can lean on veterans such as Bryan Cook, Mike Edwards, and Deon Bush.\u00a0Hicks&#8217; knack for creating turnovers is something Kansas City&#8217;s defense sorely needs. It all starts when the Chiefs\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs-news\/chiefs-release-full-2025-training-camp-schedule-dates-autograph-signings-tickets\/\">take the field for training camp<\/a>\u00a0at Missouri Western in four days.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-embed-card--list\">\n<div class=\"m-card--media\"><a class=\"m-card--image-link\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs-news\/chiefs-training-camp-juju-smith-schuster-veteran-most-danger-getting-cut\/\" rel=\"\"><picture class=\"is-loaded\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_220\/MjA5ODI4OTYzNDgzMTMzMzkz\/usatsi_24433045.webp 220w, https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_320\/MjA5ODI4OTYzNDgzMTMzMzkz\/usatsi_24433045.webp 320w, https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_640\/MjA5ODI4OTYzNDgzMTMzMzkz\/usatsi_24433045.webp 640w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"220px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_220\/MjA5ODI4OTYzNDgzMTMzMzkz\/usatsi_24433045.jpg 220w, https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_320\/MjA5ODI4OTYzNDgzMTMzMzkz\/usatsi_24433045.jpg 320w, https:\/\/atozsports.com\/.image\/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_640\/MjA5ODI4OTYzNDgzMTMzMzkz\/usatsi_24433045.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"220px\" \/><\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a team has multiple superstars that have big-time contracts like the Chiefs do, they need young guys who are still on their rookie deals to step&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":80860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - 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