The month of March may mean little for some sports fans, but for the NFL, and specifically the Chiefs, the free agency frenzy is just days away. With rumors swirling about players going everywhere and seemingly staying put at the same time, it can be a lot to keep straight. Fortunately, for Kansas City, there needs to be one main focus: adding real talent to a depleted front-four pass rush.
Right now, the Chiefs have just five players along the defensive line who are definite locks to make the 53-man roster. Chris Jones enters his 11th season and is still in his prime. While the raw sack numbers won’t tell the whole story, Jones remains uber-elite amongst defensive tackles, ranking first in pass-rush win-rate (20 percent), according to ESPN. This is despite Jones facing some of the highest double-teams percentages in the league.
Edge-rushers George Karlaftis, who looks to bounce back after a quiet 2025 season, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who is coming off a serious hamstring injury, expect to have an impact. And second-year talents Ashton Gillotte and Omarr Norman-Lott must leap forward. A typical Chiefs d-line group makes up twice as many bodies as this room does now. And the players that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach decides to add cannot be filler moves or roster crunch guys. They need to be worthwhile, one-on-one winners in both the trenches and around the edge.
At pick No. 9, and No. 40 for that matter, in this year’s draft, the Chiefs have the opportunity to add some high-quality d-lineman, but the NFL draft is more or less a wishing well. Adding proven talent via free agency is another, safer route to go and a necessary one, as the Chiefs have to add multiple bodies.
Here are four options Kansas City should consider.
Chiefs Need to Add Real Talent to the Defensive Line
1. DT John Franklin-Myers - Still 29 years old, Franklin-Myers is coming off two career-best seasons in Denver, posting 15 sacks, 65 total tackles, and 32 QB hits. At 6’4” 288 lbs, he has inside-outside flexibility and is best served playing the majority of his snaps on second and third down. The two words that come to mind when watching Franklin-Myers are strength and technique. He pushes tackles and guards back in the pocket with efficient hand usage and a strong lower half. His 65 tackles are a result of his ability to quickly shed blockers, allowing him to close on the ball carrier. Pairing him next to Jones would be a nasty tandem that the Chiefs haven’t had in a long time. Contract Projection: Three years, $40 million
2. DE Odafe Oweh - In a dream scenario, the Chiefs would be able to sign a guy like Oweh. In 2024, he racked up 10 sacks for the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, Baltimore traded Oweh mid-year to the Los Angeles Chargers, where he produced another 7.5 sacks in 12 games. Veach loves to take shots on former first-round picks, and at 6’5”, 255 lbs, with nearly 35-inch arms, Oweh is the prototypical build for an elite edge-rusher. He can shoot gaps really well when rushing inside, but can also bend around the edge with power and flexibility. He would be a great compliment to Karlaftis and would give the Chiefs a much-feared edge duo for years to come. The only issue is that Oweh may be too good for Kansas City to reach his desired pricepoint. Contract Projection: Four years, $80 million
3. DT Logan Hall - The 26-year-old Hall has made a name for himself with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the last two seasons. He’s totaled seven sacks and 67 total tackles, all while on his rookie contract, providing the Bucs with cost-effective production at a premium position. Hall has a faster get-off from the snap than most 6’6” DTs and uses it to his advantage, regularly making first contact with blockers due to his 79-plus inch wingspan. While he certainly has pass-rush juice, Hall would be used in an even split role between run and pass plays, making him another versatile piece for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. In 2025, Hall ranked 39th out of 113 qualified DTs, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s far better than Derrick Nnadi, who too often found himself at the bottom of that list.
Contract Projection: Two years, $15 million
4. DE Boye Mafe - Mafe has been a target for Kansas City as far back as the 2022 draft, where he went No. 40 overall to the Seattle Seahawks. This was the case as recently as last season, when the Chiefs' trading for him at the deadline felt like an almost certainty, based on reports. He had a down year in 2025, where he played the lowest snaps since his rookie season. But in 2023 and ‘24, Mafe accumulated 15 sacks, 92 total tackles, and nine passes defensed. His game is quite reminiscent of Karlaftis's. Mafe is not exactly a quick winner off the edge, but never relents, has a couple of go-to moves, and is excellent against the run. Signing Mafe certainly wouldn’t be what would fix the pass-rush, but his addition would add a genuine difference-maker to a position group that has lacked that for years.
Contract Projection: Three years, $36 million