Hicks saw snaps at strong safety and slot cornerback as he worked to amass 42 tackles (29 solo), including 0.5 sacks, and four passes defensed over 17 regular-season games in 2025.

EDGE Analysis

Hicks saw an uptick in defensive snaps during his sophomore campaign, jumping from 312 as a rookie to 445 in the 2025 season. While the defensive back was utilized as a Swiss Army knife in multiple areas of the secondary, he maintained his role as a special-teams contributor throughout the season as well. Hicks will head into his third year with a shot to take over at slot cornerback full-time if the Chiefs do not sign or move someone to replace Mike Edwards, whose one-year deal is up.

Hicks finished Friday's 27-21 loss to the Chargers with four tackles (three solo).

EDGE Analysis

The 2024 fourth-rounder saw just one start in his rookie season, though he got the start at strong safety in Friday's game while also seeing work out of the slot and on special teams. The Chiefs' secondary got carved up by Justin Herbert, and they'll look to bounce back in their Week 2 matchup against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX.

Hicks recorded 29 tackles (23 solo) and five pass breakups, including three interceptions, in 17 regular-season games this season.

EDGE Analysis

The rookie saw his defensive snap count increase as the season went on, and he also recorded 13 tackles (10 solo) in Kansas City's three playoff games. Hicks played on 312 defensive snaps and 305 special-teams snaps during the regular season, and he will look to continue increasing that defensive workload in 2025.

Hicks recorded three tackles (three solo), a pass deflection and an interception during Kansas City's win over the Browns on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Hicks saw increased playing time during Sunday's victory as Chamarri Conner left the game early due to a concussion and ended up recording his second interception of the season. The rookie fourth-round pick could end up starting during the team's Week 16 matchup versus the Texans if Conner is unable to clear the concussion protocol in time to play.

Hicks was working with the Chiefs' first-team defense Monday with Justin Reid (quadriceps) on the team's NFI list, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The rookie safety out of Washington State has received a vote of confidence from his coaching staff, seeing first-team snaps while Reid recovers from his quadriceps injury. Hicks isn't expected to have a big defensive role during Kansas City's 2024 campaign, but he could be the next man up at safety if Reid or Bryan Cook go down at some point this season.