With the dust officially having settled on Week 9 and the NFL trade deadline, the Kansas City Chiefs are one step closer to figuring out who they are ahead of the most important stretch of the season.

Sunday's victory over the New York Jets featured a return to dominance for most of the game, although it was likely just an example of a good team taking care of business against a bad one. With that said, it served as a prime opportunity for some of the club's young players to continue developing.

Following Week 9, let's break down the Chiefs' rookies and sophomores by ranking each qualifying 53-man roster member in tiers. Be sure to return to this series each week to see who's moving and shaking.

Defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, whose practice window was opened a while back, isn't included while he's still on the physically unable to perform list.

Left tackle Josh Simmons remains off the list after going to injured reserve. The same exemption applies to running back Brashard Smith.

The young standout tier

• CB Nohl Williams
• DE Ashton Gillotte
• RB Emmett Johnson
• CB Mansoor Delane
• DE R Mason Thomas

Nohl Williams just keeps on proving why he's one of the best cornerback building blocks on a rookie deal. His breakout year rolled on in Week 9, as he dominated in coverage against the Jets' banged-up receiver room and did exactly what he should've on the afternoon. If he's rejoined by Mansoor Delane this weekend versus the Atlanta Falcons, which is expected, it could be tough sledding for the home offense.

The further that second-year defensive end Ashton Gillotte gets from his plantar fascia injury, the more he looks like a somewhat reliable starter opposite George Karlaftis. At the very least, he's a nice one-two punch with rookie R Mason Thomas, although the former received 44 snaps in Week 9 to the latter's 28. According to Pro Football Focus, Gilotte finished with a pair of pressures and a stop on Sunday to Thomas' respective marks of one and zero.

A week after going 5-for-5 on targets and receptions for 128 yards and the first touchdown of his NFL career, rookie running back Emmett Johnson rushed for a career-high 34 yards and his first-ever score on the ground. Being in a blowout game allowed the Nebraska product to get some more work in the run game, and he certainly delivered.

The to-be-determined tier

• OT Kahlil Benson
• WR Jalen Royals
• WR Cyrus Allen
• DT Peter Woods
• DT Bryson Eason
• CB Jadon Canady
• TE Jake Briningstool

It's impossible to move rookie tackle Kahlil Benson down a tier, so he's stuck in this one until he improves his play. Considering the back half of Kansas City's schedule, that doesn't seem probable. The former CFP National Championship winner from Indiana gave up more pressures (five) than any Chiefs lineman over the weekend, which doesn't bode well for his long-term prospects.

The wide receiver room is suddenly in an interesting position. Jalen Royals made the most of both of his targets on late downs on Sunday, although there may not be a ton more to his role at this juncture and he's now battling an ankle issue.

Fifth-round rookie Cyrus Allen fumbled on special teams and didn't see an expanded workload on offense, which may be something to monitor given that Josh Downs was acquired at the deadline. The next few weeks could be a make-or-break stretch for Allen's debut year in the Chiefs' wideout ranks.

Defensive tackle Peter Woods is far from an empty snaps player, but he hasn't made too many high-impact plays as of late and also didn't play in Week 9 because of a neck injury. The Chiefs anticipate him back in Week 10. Bryson Eason, who played 20 snaps in Week 8 when Woods first got hurt, saw his total drop all the way down to five.

Fourth-round cornerback Jadon Canady has experienced a tale of two games in Weeks 8 and 9, going from flashing his playmaking upside to being a special teams liability. The good news for this category is that tight end Jake Briningstool receives a promotion after logging season-high thresholds for offensive snaps (15) and targets (two).

The primary special teams tier

• LB Jeffrey Bassa
• S Xavier Nwankpa

Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa still isn't going to crack the rotation on defense, but he made his second big-time special teams play of the year when he recovered Allen's fumble on the Chiefs' opening kickoff return. At the safety spot, Xavier Nwankpa went over the 20-snap mark for Dave Toub's unit for the second consecutive game.

The game day inactive tier

• OT Diego Pounds
• QB Garrett Nussmeier
• DE Jack Pyburn

Not a ton to see here. With backup quarterback Justin Fields not being moved at the deadline, rookie Garrett Nussmeier will remain the emergency third signal-caller on game days for the remainder of the year. In fairness, there was never any smoke surrounding a Fields trade.

Offensive tackle Diego Pounds and defensive end Jack Pyburn are safe on the 53-man roster for the time being.