KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Andy Reid knows all about Mike Hilton.
The veteran cornerback has been an icicle in the big coach's mustache since entering the league in 2017. His teams have fought some brawls with the Chiefs, splitting a pair of AFC championships at Arrowhead Stadium.
Since Reid joined the Chiefs in 2013, Hilton might be the only NFL player who can say he has a .500 record against the legendary coach. Combined with the Steelers and Bengals, Hilton is 4-4 against Reid and Patrick Mahomes (Hilton and the quarterback entered the league in 2017), including those dramatic AFC title games.
Now, Hilton jumps out on the list of low-cost available free agents who could really help the Chiefs.
Hilton, who just turned 32, is no longer a full-time NFL starter. He was healthy last season after signing with the Dolphins prior to training camp. Released by Miami, he spent the season's first month on the Colts' practice squad but played in just two Indianapolis games before they let him go.
Like a stock in a bear market, however, Hilton's best value is right now. The Chiefs need another veteran to clean up details and breed consistency at such an important position. Their current cornerbacks are Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, Kader Kohou, Chris Roland-Wallace, Kevin Knowles and Tanner McCalister.
And Hilton is all about details and consistency. He's one of few NFL players with an interception over eight consecutive seasons, something he accomplished from 2017-24. The Chiefs sorely lacked picks in 2025, and for a team that finished an NFL-worst 1-9 in one-score games, landing a player with a nose for the ball, with a history of takeaways, should be high priority.
After signing with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He played for Lou Anarumo from 2021-24.
Playing for Steve Spagnuolo isn't for the faint of heart, but Tomlin and Anarumo are perfect prerequisites. And in addition to Hilton, another low-cost free agent who could help the Chiefs is edge rusher Dante Fowler.
A 6-3, 261-pound veteran out of Florida, Fowler is a strong replacement for Charles Omenihu in the Chiefs' pass-rush rotation. Omenihu is an underrated loss for the Chiefs. He fed off Chris Jones during his three years in Kansas City, quietly accounting for 11½ sacks. Those were important stops, and it's hard to find players on the current roster who can replace Omenihu's pass rush.
Fowler could do it. The third-overall selection in the 2015 draft, he played two seasons in Jacksonville before the Rams acquired him in a 2018 trade. Fowler then helped Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl with 1½ sacks in the postseason.
Like Hilton, Fowler isn't a full-time starter - even though he started 11 games as an outside linebacker for the Cowboys last season. Fowler turns 32 in August, but he still has plenty of tread on tires that enter their 11th NFL season. He could really complement Jones and George Karlaftis in packages conceived by Spagnuolo.