For the fourth straight year, I’m considering the 10 biggest questions I have for the Kansas City Chiefs for 2026. Here are the questions I’ve pondered so far:
- How will the offensive tackles perform?
- Can linebackers still be a strength of the team?
- Can the offense build an elite run game?
- Is the tight end group versatile enough?
One of the biggest areas the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled with during the last two seasons is pass rush, particularly with a typical four-man rush.
During the 2024 season, the Chiefs were 30th in pressure rate without a blitz at 25% and 29th in sack rate at 4.7%, according to Next Gen Stats. Those marks improved in 2025, but not by much:
the same pressure stat ranked 17th at 31%, and the sack rate was 14th at 6.9%.
The pass rush’s flaws seemed to stand out particularly in the fourth quarter of games. When Kansas City needed to get stops against teams like the Los Angeles Chargers during Week 1, the Buffalo Bills during Week 10, the Denver Broncos during Week 11, and the Dallas Cowboys during Week 13, the defense was unable to generate enough of a pass rush to close games out.
The Chiefs have recognized this issue over the last two years.
It’s proven by draft investment: in 2025, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott and defensive end Ashton Gillotte were taken with picks No. 63 and 66, respectively.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs didn’t get immediate results from the duo, with Norman-Lott’s early-season ACL tear playing a major role. Still, he had only 45 pass-rush snaps before his injury and finished with four pressures and a sack.
What do we know about Omarr Norman-Lott?
It’s hard to understand exactly what the Chiefs have with Norman-Lott due to the injury and a small, rookie-season sample, but there isn’t even much of a collegiate sample of his skill set. Over five college seasons, Norman-Lott played less than 1,000 snaps. During his senior year at Tennessee, he averaged around 17 snaps a game. He was a rotational player in college.
There’s no doubt that Norman-Lott has talent. He’s an explosive, slippery pass rusher who can get underneath interior offensive linemen. He’s effective at getting upfield and creating pressure, particularly from the nose tackle spot. However, that talent has never translated into a full-time role, as his lack of size and length has negatively affected his run defense.
There is a role for Norman-Lott in pass-rush situations, particularly when playing off three-technique tackles Peter Woods or Chris Jones as the one-technique tackle. That’s a limited role, but still one he could succeed in.
The question is whether Norman-Lott can do enough as a pass rusher to justify playing him in those situations. If Norman-Lott doesn’t get pressure, his reason to be on the field weakens; it will be key factor in observing his Year 2 development.
What do we know about Ashton Gillotte?
Gillotte’s rookie season showed good signs, but it came in a limited role most of the year. Gillotte played 462 snaps, including 253 pass-rush snaps. He produced 22 pressures, or an 8.7% pressure rate, and finished with a solid profile after Year 1.
Unfortunately, Gillotte wasn’t overly impactful when the Chiefs were still in playoff contention: he played 133 of his 462 snaps (almost 30%) in the last three weeks of the season. In the other 14 games, he averaged 24 snaps per game.
On a positive note for Gillotte’s production in meaningful games, he generated 18 pressures in 187 pass rush snaps (9.6%) before Week 16.
There is optimism that Gillotte will be at least a rotational defensive end. He’s a crafty pass rusher with a diverse package of moves. He might lack standout traits, but he has enough tools in his toolbox to hang in the NFL. The question is whether he can grow beyond that. His lack of length may limit the ceiling of his career potential.
The rookies
During the 2026 draft, the Chiefs continued to add to this unit with defensive tackle Peter Woods at pick No. 29 and edge rusher R Mason Thomas at pick No. 40.
There is skepticism to consider with the selections:
Woods was a frustrating player to scout in the pre-draft process. The traits he has are tantalizing. His combination of balance and agility is rare for a player of his size. He’s a good run defender; he can hold up with strength while also slipping blocks.
However, his pass-rush tape underwhelmed. Woods lacks length and struggled to get off blocks quickly at Clemson. When an interior offensive lineman gets a grip on him, Woods lacks the counters with his hands to disengage. He prefers to try and slip through blocks rather than use his hands, which will be hard to rely on at the NFL level.
Woods projects to be more of a long-term piece; defensive tackles can take several years to develop. But for this year’s Chiefs, Woods is needed as impactful, particularly if Norman-Lott doesn’t make an impact himself.
Is Woods ready to make an impact? Was his 2025 season at Clemson just a weird year? He has a lot to prove.
There’s more optimism amid skepticism with Thomas; he was awesome to watch at Oklahoma. He plays every snap with his hair on fire. He showed a deep pass-rush bag to pair with good athleticism, bend and explosiveness at Oklahoma.
His college tape shows a skill set that could theoretically translate to the NFL, but the lack of size, length or top-tier athleticism concerns me.
Thomas won’t be able to push around quality NFL tackles as easily as he did in college; objectively, he is an undersized defensive end. Thomas needs to be elite at getting off the snap and beating tackles to the spot.
Does Thomas have enough athleticism to be elite at getting off the line at the snap and beating tackles around the arc?
In the best-case scenario, Kansas City’s young defensive line could be similar to what the Los Angeles Rams built the past few years around draft picks like Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Jared Verse and Byron Young. Collectively, that pass-rush unit transformed into one of the NFL’s best.
Can the Chiefs’ pass rush transform in a similar fashion in 2026?
The young players will need to be critical contributors around defensive tackle Chris Jones and defensive end George Karlaftis to do so.
