The Kansas City Chiefs solved several major roster needs this offseason. The front office addressed running back, cornerback, and defensive tackle while also rebuilding the secondary with quality acquisitions at safety and slot defender.
Those moves give Kansas City a strong foundation for the 2026 season, but there are still several important holes on the roster heading into the rest of the offseason program leading up to training camp in late July.
1. Boundary Wide Receiver
On offense, the biggest remaining need is a boundary
wide receiver. The Chiefs re-signed wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, but outside of that move, Kansas City didn’t add another true outside receiver this offseason.
Thornton provides value as a vertical threat, but his game remains limited. He struggles against press coverage and doesn’t offer a complete route tree. The bigger concern is that he may be the only natural boundary receiver currently on the roster. Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Cyrus Allen, and Jalen Royals are all best suited for slot roles or motion-heavy alignments.
Rice could theoretically move outside more often, but that creates another problem. He’s the Chiefs’ best receiver, and forcing him into a less natural role weakens the entire room just to compensate for a lack of outside depth.
The free-agent market also offers few clean solutions. Players like Stefon Diggs or Tyreek Hill will generate speculation, but both are primarily slot receivers at this stage of their careers. Diggs spent significant time inside with the New England Patriots, while Hill was already declining as a full-time outside receiver before his recent injury.
Veterans such as Tim Patrick or Josh Reynolds may be more realistic targets, but neither significantly changes the group’s ceiling. Because of that, Kansas City may ultimately need to explore the trade market either before the season or at the deadline.
2. Swing Tackle
The Chiefs also need to ensure there is competent depth at offensive tackle.
While Kansas City avoided reaching for a tackle early in the draft, the board never really fell in favor of selecting one later on, either. Caleb Lomu from Utah would have made sense at the end of the first round, but New England traded ahead of the Chiefs and took him off the board.
There also wasn’t a strong run of tackles in the second round, and landing someone like Jude Bowry from Boston College would have required an aggressive move up later in the draft.
That leaves the tackle room in a somewhat risky position entering the season.
Josh Simmons played excellent football as a rookie, but there are still durability (and reliability) questions after multiple absences last year. One absence was due to personal reasons, and another to a dislocated wrist, so there is optimism that those issues won’t become long-term concerns. His knee holding up was encouraging, a lingering issue from college that may have caused him to fall down the draft board last year, but availability remains something to monitor.
Jaylon Moore may be an even bigger question mark. He enters his age-28 season without ever starting a full NFL season. The Chiefs are projecting him into a much larger role than he has previously held, and there’s still uncertainty about whether he can stay healthy and consistently perform over a full year.
The depth behind them is also shaky. Esa Pole and Chu Godrick — a roster exception as a player from the International Pathway Program (IPP) — both saw action late last season, and neither looked ready for meaningful snaps. One of them could improve this offseason, but Kansas City would still benefit from adding veteran competition.
Even with a weak free-agent market, players like Cam Robinson, Yosh Nijman, or Kelvin Beachum would improve depth and provide insurance against injuries.
3. Defensive end depth
The Chiefs added R Mason Thomas in the draft, but defensive end depth is still a concern, as noted by our contributing editor Ron Kopp Jr. on Monday.
George Karlaftis and Ashton Gillotte project as the starters, with Thomas rotating in behind them. That trio gives Kansas City some young pass-rush upside, but the depth beyond that becomes questionable quickly. 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah would currently be in line for rotational snaps, and he still hasn’t shown enough consistency to fully trust in that role.
The Chiefs also lack a bigger-bodied defensive end in the rotation. Thomas and Gillotte both win more with burst and athleticism than size or length. While that can create pass-rush value, there are legitimate concerns about how well they will hold up against the run on the edge.
Kansas City could use a veteran who brings more power and physicality to the room. Someone who can set the edge, defend the run, and collapse the pocket would complement the current group well.
That’s why veterans like Cameron Jordan or Jadeveon Clowney make sense as potential additions. Jordan is nearing the end of his career, but he still offers value as a run defender and interior rusher on passing downs. Clowney could provide a similar role with more size and edge-setting ability than the Chiefs currently possess.
4. A third linebacker for base defense
One underrated offseason loss was now Washington Commanders linebacker Leo Chenal.
Chenal wasn’t a full-time three-down linebacker, but his versatility gave the Chiefs flexibility in their defensive fronts. He could align in the box, play on the line of scrimmage, and contribute heavily against the run.
Kansas City never filled that role in free agency or the draft, despite a deep linebacker group in the 2026 class.
Right now, the likely candidates to fill those snaps are 2025 fifth-round pick Jeffrey Bassa, Cole McDonald, or Jack Cochrane.
Cochrane has the most experience of the group, but his skillset is more coverage-oriented and doesn’t fully replace Chenal’s physical presence against the run. Bassa may be the closest stylistic fit if the Chiefs want someone who can play downhill and contribute near the line of scrimmage.
If Kansas City looks outside the organization, free agent Elandon Roberts could make sense as a veteran addition. Roberts is older and not quite as powerful as Chenal, but he still plays well downhill, blitzes effectively, and could restore some of the front versatility the Chiefs lost.
5. Blocking tight end
The final major need is a blocking tight end.
This draft featured several strong blocking tight ends, but Kansas City missed out after trading its third-round pick to move up for cornerback Mansoor Delane. Prospects like Oscar Delp from Georgia and Will Kaczmarek from Ohio State would have fit nicely in the Chiefs’ offense, but both were off the board before Kansas City could realistically target them.
As a result, the Chiefs still lack a true in-line blocking tight end behind Travis Kelce.
Noah Gray remains a useful receiving option, but he has never been an impact blocker due to his size limitations. Jared Wiley has better physical tools for that role, but he has struggled to earn consistent playing time.
Kansas City’s coaching staff has repeatedly emphasized wanting to run the ball more effectively in 2026. Adding Kenneth Walker and Emmett Johnson should already help the ground game behind an improved offensive line. However, adding a true blocking tight end could elevate that rushing attack even further by helping seal defensive ends and climb to second-level defenders.
There are limited free-agent options available, but Will Dissly stands out as a logical fit. Even if he doesn’t provide much as a receiver, he would immediately improve the blocking ability of the tight end room and better support the Chiefs’ stated offensive identity.
