Monday marked the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period in free agency. While the official start of the new league year is not until Wednesday, teams wasted no time finalizing deals with impending acquisitions. The Kansas City Chiefs were among those with big days.
The news of the team signing running back Kenneth Walker sent shockwaves around the league, but the Chiefs made a less-significant signing that could pay off enormous dividends (no pun intended).
In the early afternoon on Monday, Kansas
City reportedly came to terms with defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga. This move will solidify the middle of the Chiefs’ defense and bolster its run defense, proven by Tonga being a key cog in the New England Patriots’ front seven that led that team to an AFC title.
The five-year veteran signed a three-year deal with the Chiefs worth up to $21 million, with $14 million guaranteed and a $5.6 million signing bonus.
The deal is affordable for the Chiefs and will bring an influx of talent to a position Kansas City needs significant investment in.
Background
Tonga was a seventh-round pick out of BYU by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft, kicking off a career that can be labeled as one of a “journeyman.” From Chicago, he went to play for the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals before joining New England in 2025.
His career production is low, and he has tallied only half a sack through five seasons. That shouldn’t worry any members of Chiefs Kingdom, for his most impactful role shines through against the run.
The 6-foot-2, 335-pound 29-year-old was a stalwart member of the Patriots’ 2025 AFC Championship team, and his play and effort earned him a long-term deal and life-changing money in Kansas City.
The interior defensive line has needed a big overhaul, and Tonga will be playing an integral role in the Chiefs revamped room.
Pass rush
Tonga will not provide much in terms of “quick wins” when rushing the passer; however, his power and effort allow him to get home eventually, and put quarterbacks on a “timer”.
The Chiefs will not be reliant on Tonga for pass rush, but he will provide an upgrade over veteran options Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel; both were much less effective in pass rush than Tonga in 2025.
Tonga plays with good leverage and a powerful base. This helps him to bull rush his way into the backfield. It won’t be a quick win, but his strength and ability to crush pockets will eventually fluster quarterbacks and either force a poor throw or a scramble from the pocket.
Tonga will get his fair shot to rush the passer in Kansas City, but he will be most important when stopping the run.
Run defense
The NFL’s run-game resurgence is a factor to remember in the Tonga signing; the Chiefs are actively retooling the middle of the defense accordingly.
Kansas City has gotten away with minimal investment in the defensive tackle spot outside of All-Pro Chris Jones since his first major contract extension in 2020, but the signing of Tonga to stuff the run was needed.
Tonga will have the ability to line up as a 0-technique, a shade, and anywhere between the A and B-gaps on run downs. In New England’s 3-4 defense, he either aligned head up on the center or as a shade; that is likely where the Chiefs will use him the most.
In the Patriots’ system, winning the line of scrimmage and having a strong defensive interior sets the tone for the entire defense, and Tonga was at the forefront of this.
A brickwall of a player, Tonga plays sound, fundamental football while also using great technique. It helped him execute as a two-gap player in New England.
With a naturally-low center of gravity and a great understanding of leverage, he was able to get underneath offensive linemen’s pads and plug up running plays before they could get going.
He is at his most valuable in short-yardage defense, and even if he does not get credit for the tackle, it is often his effort that sets his teammates up for big plays.
Despite his size, Tonga is impressively athletic; he is not an easy player to reach block. With solid lateral agility, he prevented offensive linemen from reaching and climbing while taking away cutback lanes.
This quickness and agility will help him acclimate to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s front, where the Chiefs use different pre-snap alignments and post-snap stunts or games to create penetration.
An impressive athlete for a nose tackle, Tonga should easily slide into being the first and second down option for Kansas City.
Fullback?
The Chiefs have not carried a true fullback since 2022, when the team rostered Mike Burton on its way to winning Super Bowl LVII. However, due to cap constraints and a lack of usage, the fullback has basically gone away from head coach Andy Reid’s offense.
Incredibly, Tonga could be the de facto fullback in Kansas City moving forward.
Tonga played 14 snaps on offense in 2025 for the Patriots, lining up primarily as a fullback or H-back and serving as the lead blocker for the team in short-yardage and goal-line situations. With excellent burst and frightening power, it led to some fun plays in New England.
It may seem far-fetched, but Tonga has a legit chance to be the team’s first fullback on the roster this season, considering the lack of snaps for true fullbacks in the Chiefs’ offense, and his role as a primarily two-down run defender. The 14 snaps Tonga played only accounted for 2% of the Patriots offensive plays in 2025, but in 2022, Burton played only 6% of the Chiefs offensive snaps.
Even with the signing of Walker, the Chiefs will likely not turn to heavily leaning on I-formation runs, but Tonga gives them a unique package in that sense.
