There is a strong argument to be made that the Kansas City Chiefs historically have a more well-rounded all-time defense than offense. This is despite the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Otis Taylor, Priest Holmes, and Will Shields, just to name a few. First and foremost, come the big guys in the trenches, this time on the opposite side of the football.
Defensive tackles have such a rich history among Kansas City's 60-plus years of existence, from the early 1960s to the present day. But only four could crack the list of KC Kingdom's ninth edition of our ongoing series, "Chiefs All-Time Mount Rushmore."
Chiefs history at DT features legendary talent and generations of greatness
Buck Buchanan (1963-75)
From day one, Buck Buchanan was seen as an elite prospect. At a jarring 6'7", 270 lbs with an estimated 80-plus inch wingspan, Buchanan was drafted first overall by the Dallas Texans in the 1963 AFL Draft, making him the first ever HBCU player drafted No. 1 overall. His rookie year saw him tally five sacks in 14 games. Those 14 games played remained the case every season of his 13-year career, tabbing Buchanan as a true iron man.
From his second season on from 1964-1971, Buchanan made the Pro Bowl, was selected to two second team All-Pros, and four straight first team AP honors. His pressures created a sack and a half throughout the Chiefs' three-game 1969 playoff run, which led Kansas City's defense to secure the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl trophy.
Buchanan retired after the 1975 season as a lifelong Chief, and ranks seventh in franchise history in sacks (70.5) and tied for ninth in games played (182). Buck Buchanan was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Honor in 1981, retiring his No. 86 uniform. He also entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Buchanan set the standard for every Chiefs' defensive tackle that came after him.
Curley Culp (1968-74)
Perhaps Curley Culp's best single-season didn't come during his time with the Chiefs, but Kansas City certainly got the most consistently high-quality play from the 6'2", 265 lb nose tackle. Culp was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 1968 NFL Draft and traded to the Chiefs during his rookie season, marking the beginning of a Hall of Fame career.
After a quiet rookie campaign, Culp racked up 8.5 sacks in 1969, made his first Pro Bowl, and helped KC win the '69 Super Bowl. Culp was Buchanan's right-hand man along the interior of the d-line for years until his eventual departure from the team early in the 1974 season. But not before Culp accumulated 37 sacks, five fumble recoveries, and two Pro Bowl selections in his 68 starts with Kansas City.
His best year came the following season in 1975, when he posted 11.5 sacks, was named first team All-Pro, and came second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. Curley Culp was a very good player during his tenure with the Chiefs and was inducted into the team's Hall of Honor in 2008 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Dan Saleaumua (1989-96)
Like Culp, Dan Saleaumua was a designated nose tackle at a stout 6'0", 305 lbs. Saleaumua's first two seasons and last two seasons of his career were spent in Detroit and Seattle, respectively. But the middle eight, he excelled in Kansas City. An ultra-rare seventh-round draft hit, Saleaumua grew into an incredibly impactful interior presence during the Marty Schottenheimer-era Chiefs.
Over his 125 career games with Kansas City, Saleaumua absolutely stuffed the stat sheets. He posted four seasons of 70-plus tackles as a DT, and a total of nearly 500 takedowns during his Chiefs career, numbers you just don't see nowadays from the position. Saleaumua could rush the passer too with 28 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, a pair of defensive TDs, and three interceptions.
Saleaumua made his lone Pro Bowl appearance in 1995 when the Chiefs went an impressive 13-3, and all nine of his career playoff games came as a Chief. Dan Saleaumua is a guy who absolutely deserves a spot in the Chiefs Hall of Honor, but at least can rest easy knowing he was inducted in the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Chris Jones (2016-pres.)
The final name on this list is a guy every fan, young and old, will know and revere. Chris Jones. The 2016 second-round selection has etched out a Hall of Fame career and has been the defensive anchor over the Chiefs' decade-long reign of power. His 6'6" 310 lb frame is a handful to deal with for smaller guards and centers, and with Jones unique athleticism, quickness, and versatility, he can move out to the edge at the drop of a hat and drive right through a tackle's chest, or beat them around a tight corner.
Jones' rookie season started slowly with just two sacks, his second campaign improving to 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Then in 2018, Jones exploded for 15.5 sacks, 40 total tackles, 29 QB hits, and 19 tackles for loss, earning him second-team All-Pro honors. From that point on, the Chiefs knew they had something special in Jones and decided to pair him up with legendary defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to steady a faulty Chiefs defense to a level closer to the elite Patrick Mahomes-led offenses.
From 2019 to this past season, Jones has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year, made three straight first-team All-Pros from 2022-24, and came third in defensive player of the year voting in '22 with another 15.5 sack and 44 tackle season. Jones has three Super Bowl rings to his name and hopes to capture another this upcoming season with finally some much-needed help around him on the interior. His 87.5 career sacks are just two shy of tying the great Tamba Hali for second all-time in Chiefs history.
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