Kansas City Chiefs OTAs Preview: Replacing Leo Chenal and 4 more key defensive questions that need answers as practice begins
Taking a look at five burning questions for the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense as OTAs begin on Tuesday, May 26. That list includes replacing Leo Chenal, Felix Anudike-Uzomah’s last chance, the logjam at nickel corner, and more.
Organized Team Activities (OTAs) officially begin for the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, May 26.
While padded practices and live contact are still not allowed, on-field workouts with individual and group components are back on the table. 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 team drills and walkthroughs are allowed during OTAs, bringing players that much closer to the real deal for the 2026 NFL season.
Chiefs Phase III Offseason Workout Schedule
The Chiefs will hold two separate three-practice OTAs sessions before mandatory minicamp. Typically, they hold three sessions, but this year’s timing will only allow two OTA sessions for Kansas City.
- Organized Team Activities Group 1: May 26-28
- Organized Team Activities Group 2: June 1-3
- Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11
In OTAs, we’ll get our first glimpse of the roster composition, learn the team’s weaknesses, and get answers to several burning questions. On the defensive side of the ball, the team has plenty of new pieces, but also some returning players who could be a big part of the team’s success in 2026.
Who will fill Leo Chenal’s shoes on the Chiefs’ defense in 2026?
The Chiefs did not address the loss of SAM LB Leo Chenal in the 2026 NFL Draft, but that’s because the team feels they’ve got his replacement on the roster. Ahead of the draft, Nick Bolton hinted that 2025 UDFA LB Cooper McDonald could be a natural replacement for Chenal. McDonald, of course, filled in for Chenal when he was placed on injured reserve late in the season.
“Cooper McDonald did a great job when Leo couldn’t play the last (two games) of the season,” Bolton said. “Coming in and playing and filling that void for us. I think a lot of young guys will come in and play a lot. It’s our job, as vets and coaches as well, to get them to the place they need to be. But, I’m excited for the guys we’ve got in the building, for sure.”
McDonald will certainly get first crack at it, but there are some young and hungry players in Kam Arnold and Wesley Bissainthe who could also push for playing time behind McDonald.
Can Felix Anudike-Uzomah finally live up to his draft slot?
There’s little denying that this former first-round draft pick has not lived up to his draft slot for the Chiefs. The No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Anudike-Uzomah has appeared in just 34 regular-season games with three starts over the past three seasons, recording 41 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He’s also appeared in four postseason games, recording six total tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack.
The Chiefs declined his fifth-year option after he missed the 2025 NFL season with a hamstring injury. That means he’s entering a contract year in Kansas City. I get the sense that the Chiefs will give him every opportunity to earn his keep leading up to the 2026 NFL season, but there’s urgency to improve the edge rusher position, and there’s a whole lot of competition amongst young players in Ashton Gillotte, R Mason Thomas, Ethan Downs, Tyreke Smith, Anthony Dunn, and VJ Anthony.
The Chiefs have a logjam at nickel corner to figure out
The Chiefs don’t exactly have a clear answer to who will play the nickel cornerback spot in 2026. Last season, it was a blend of Trent McDuffie, Chamarri Conner, Chris Roland-Wallace, and Kevin Knowles. McDuffie was far and away the alpha and the best player they had at the position. Now, it feels like one of the more intriguing competitions.
Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt have many players who can play the position, including Kader Kohou, Kevin Knowles, Chris Roland-Wallace, Jadon Canady, Melvin Smith Jr., and even No. 6 overall pick Mansoor Delane. Kohou, Delane, and Canady, being newcomers, will only push the rest to be better. Expect a lot of rotation during OTAs and the team’s mandatory minicamp to determine who the best player at that position is. Ultimately, the question is which player on the inside will give you the three best cornerbacks on the field in nickel sub-packages?
Can the youth movement come together as quickly as it did for the Chiefs in 2022?
The 2022 NFL Draft for the Chiefs will go down as perhaps the best of Brett Veach’s tenure as general manager. The infusion of defensive talent helped this team reach and win Super Bowl LVII en route to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances and two consecutive victories.
There are obvious parallels between the 2022 and 2026 NFL Drafts. Even beyond the similarities of cornerback (Mansoor Delane and Trent McDuffie) and defensive linemen (George Karlaftis and Peter Woods) being taken in Round 1. The big question left for the 2026 NFL Draft class to answer is whether they can come together to contribute just as quickly as McDuffie, Karlaftis, Chenal, Watson, and Williams did in 2022. The answer to that question could be the difference between getting back to the playoffs and another disappointing season for Kansas City.
Is the Chiefs’ most veteran safety actually safe?
Chamarri Conner, for better or worse, has been one of Steve Spagnuolo’s guys since joining the team via the 2023 NFL Draft. While the team didn’t make an outlandish investment at safety this offseason, the position group still needs clear improvement.
Alohi Gilman was added to fulfill that veteran leadership role that has been lacking since Justin Reid’s departure. They added two talented undrafted free agents. Jaden Hicks is a guy who had a sophomore slump, but could be back on top in Year 3. Chris Roland-Wallace proved himself in 2025 before injury.
I don’t know that they’re in a position to do it, but it’s hard to deny the financial incentive behind moving on from Conner in 2026. The Chiefs can cut or trade Conner and save $3.6 million, with less than $200K in dead money. Sure, Conner is a favorite of Spags; he played more defensive snaps than anyone in 2025 and played with rookie CB Mansoor Delane at Virginia Tech. However, if other safeties start to outperform Conner in OTAs and mandatory minicamp, it’s hard not to wonder if his spot is truly safe.