The NFL legal tampering period opened Monday at noon, and free agency officially opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday when new contracts can become official.
Cincinnati has been searching for a reliable free safety since letting Jessie Bates walk after the 2022 season. It didn’t pan out with Geno Stone the past two years, but his deal ends, and Cook now steps in with a track record of strengths in areas where Stone struggled.
Cook, a second-round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2022, had just 11 missed tackles over the last two seasons, and he ranked seventh among safeties with 400-plus snaps played in missed tackle rate. Cincinnati led the league with 104 missed tackles (12.1 percent) over the last three years since Bates left.
The 26-year-old Cook also is coming off a season in which he posted a career-best defensive grade of 83.5, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF.com).
Cook won two Super Bowls in four seasons with Kansas City and notably had an interception against the Bengals with less than seven minutes left in the 2022 AFC Championship game. The game was tied at 20, and the Chiefs ended up winning on a field goal as time expired.
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