The Kansas City Chiefs were active in the first week of free agency, addressing needs at running back, nose tackle, and in the secondary. The organization has put itself in a more favorable drafting position by filling some of those needs before the draft. It feels like the Chiefs found fair deals, making the most of limited salary-cap space.
Let’s dive into each player and what they are bringing to Kansas City:
Running back Kenneth Walker
To read more about Walker’s potential role in the offense, check out our analysis from
earlier this week. In summary, I like the signing of Walker a lot.
Walker isn’t a perfect player; his vision is up-and-down, and so is his overall performance depending on the game. However, his speed and explosiveness give him a high ceiling, since he can create explosive plays from thin air.
Walker provides a level of variance that the Chiefs need. Kansas City’s offense has gotten too safe over the past few years. The unit has chased efficiency on offense, but it needs players who can take that over the top. Walker may not always be a reliable workhorse like he was in Super Bowl LX, but that is mitigated by his ability to get big runs. With Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, your offense will always have a high floor, so ceiling-raising players like Walker will always make a difference.
It will be interesting to monitor how much the offense changes with the Walker signing. The offense should most certainly be leaning more into the run game, but we don’t know what that looks like yet.
The Chiefs’ decision to address running backs before the draft seems like the right call. General manager Brett Veach doesn’t want to rely on needing to draft an immediate-impact running back like Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love at pick No. 9. There’s a good chance he will not be available. The running back class beyond that isn’t deep, so free agency was going to be the best way for the Chiefs to upgrade the position.
With the team arguably signing the best available NFL back, it feels like a win.
Nose tackle Khyris Tonga
Tonga isn’t a flashy player, but the signing is very much welcome. The Chiefs’ defensive coaching staff knows exactly what it’s getting with Tonga. He’s a massive nose tackle that can eat blocks and play multiple gaps. He won’t contribute to the pass rush, but he’ll help reset the line of scrimmage. His run defense will get Kansas City to more favorable pass-rush situations.
The 29-year-old Tonga is also in his prime, so he theoretically could be the team’s nose tackle for the entirety of his contract (or longer); nose tackles can play well into their 30s. The Chiefs haven’t had a long-term solution at nose tackle since Dontari Poe. Tonga gives stability.
This is the best nose tackle the Chiefs have had in a long time, and he was seemingly acquired at a great price. Preferably, the team adds one more defensive tackle to the room, but having a starting nose tackle eliminates an immediate need to consider in the draft.
Safety Alohi Gilman
A few weeks ago, I mentioned Gilman as a free agent option, so the signing was exciting to hear.
Gilman is a similar-level player to former Chiefs safety Bryan Cook, and Kansas City got him for roughly 60% of the deal Cook signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s a great process in free agency: finding cheap replacements for starters, allowing other positions of need to be addressed.
Gilman isn’t a perfect player, but he’s good in deep coverage. Compared to Cook, he’s a rangier athlete to cover the back end. He’s not as good as Cook at tackling, which leads to a legitimate concern about Gilman against the run. Still, he’s a perfectly good starting safety on a good contract.
That being said, the Chiefs need to add another safety. If Gilman is the top player in the room for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, then that position group isn’t talented enough. Kansas City needs to find a safety who’s more reliable at tackling in the run game.
Fortunately, this is a good draft class of safeties, so the organization will have options through the weekend.
Running back Emari Demercado
Demercado was a good signing for cheap, and one factor is that he is best on runs similar to Walker. Demercado is best on outside-zone runs, where he can build up speed with his long runs. He’ll double-up the addition of explosiveness to the room.
A room of Walker and Demercado is significantly better than what Kansas City deployed in 2025. The Chiefs do need to add a short-yardage back to this duo, so Kareem Hunt makes sense to re-sign.
Cornerback Kader Kohou
Kohou didn’t play in 2025 due to tearing his ACL in training camp. If he recovers well from his injury, Kohou becomes the Chiefs’ best option to play the slot.
Kohou had a good stint with the Miami Dolphins as the Nickel back. Compared to Chiefs’ safety Chamarri Conner, Kohou will have more coverage versatility; Kohou does a much better job covering slot receivers than Conner has shown. This should lead to Conner playing more deep safety next year, which is a better fit for him.
Signing Kohou doesn’t prohibit the Chiefs from taking a slot-cornerback type in the draft. Prospects like Clemson’s Aveion Terrell or Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds could be options at picks No. 29 or 40. Kohou provides good insurance in case the team does not find someone in the draft, so this is a good signing.
