The Kansas City Chiefs let defensive end Charles Omenihu's time in the Kingdom run its course until its natural conclusion. Omenihu naturally never returned as the same player following his ACL tear during the team's 2024 AFC Championship win over the Baltimore Ravens. But the Chiefs gave him a chance. That's going to turn out to be the best thing they could've done in the long term, despite the relative short-term setbacks they suffered. That is, if you want to go as far as to even call 3.5 sacks from an oft-injured player a setback at all.
The true payoff of Kansas City's patience has been Ashton Gillotte maturing into a starting-caliber player. Gillotte getting his chance comes right as the team is spending its way back into relevant positioning in the AFC by heavily investing in the defensive line. This started with Chris Jones' massive extension, and more recently, the addition of Khyiris Tonga on a three-year, $21 million deal. That's not to diminish the importance of the recent bank-breaking signing of Kenneth Walker III, who gives the Chiefs a much-needed work-horse running back.
Gillotte had 10 total pressures and 1.5 sacks in 17 games during his rookie season in 2025. This came after producing 58 pressures during his final two seasons with the Louisville Cardinals. He even had an interception in a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, in which he played in 68 percent of passing plays.
Gillotte waited for his turn, and now, it's all his.
Steve Spagnuolo High on Ashton Gillotte's Potential and Trajectory
Interestingly enough, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has retroactive regret about not giving Gillotte more of a chance during his rookie season. That doesn't make Spagnuolo any less confident in Gillotte's career direction.
"I thought Ashton (Gillotte) has been and hopefully will continue to be on a trajectory that's going upward," Spagnuolo said in January, via Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire. "It would've been nice to maybe get more reps in early (but) we were rotating guys, but I think he's getting plenty towards the end here and I think that will help him going forward."
That doesn't sound like someone who is gearing up to replace Gillotte via free agency, the draft, or the undrafted free agent pool. Gillotte sounds like a firm part of the team's plan during what should be a return-to-form season in Kansas City, or further proof that the end of the previous era happened during Super Bowl LIX.
Why else would the Chiefs have been so patient with him while investing resources elsewhere?