There are eight games in the books — with nine more to go. The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 season reaches its midpoint in Week 10. Because the team’s bye came so early in Week 5, we have decided to move our annual awards to midseason.
Nine members of the Arrowhead Pride writing staff each had one vote for our seven midseason awards, so nine votes will be tallied for each award. In this post, we’ll reveal our most improved player to this point in the season.
CB Mansoor Delane
VOTING: CB Mansoor Delane (8), DE R Mason Thomas (1)
It took Mansoor Delane three defensive snaps
to show why the Chiefs traded up to No. 6 overall to draft the former LSU star. On third-and-11 of the season’s opening drive, Delane picked off a Bo Nix pass intended for Courtland Sutton. A shoulder injury ended his NFL debut after that series, but he had already given Kansas City its first takeaway of the season in a pivotal matchup against the Denver Broncos.
The interception was the highlight. In the next two games Delane played, he showed how much else he could give the defense. In road wins over the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders, he recorded 10 tackles, seven of them solo, and a pass defended in each game.
Some of an outside corner’s toughest snaps come when a runner gets to the perimeter, and the corner has to come downhill and make the tackle. Delane’s work in those situations has been an early strength of his game. Entering Week 8, his 81.6 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus ranked ninth among cornerbacks.
His coverage grades held up, too. Through Week 8, Delane’s 77.4 coverage grade led all rookie cornerbacks, while his 79.7 overall grade ranked fourth in PFF’s rookie rankings. He defended five passes in five appearances.
Second-round defensive end R Mason Thomas earned the other vote. He made an immediate impact against Denver, recording a sack in his NFL debut. Delane’s shoulder injury kept him out of the rematch with the Broncos and the win over the New York Jets, but his work in coverage and run support made him the clear choice at midseason.
Cornerback was one of the biggest holes on Kansas City’s roster after the team lost All-Pro Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson in the same offseason. Delane has already helped ease that transition. Five appearances into his career, the Chiefs have seen him take away a third-down throw and do the less visible work of finishing plays when the ball comes his way on the ground. For a defense replacing two starting corners at once, that’s a promising start.
Is Delane the Chiefs’ top defensive rookie so far this year? Let us know in the comments.
