This offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs' defensive line underwent massive changes. Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was unable to reach an agreement with Kansas City, signing with the Carolina Panthers instead. Since Wharton broke out in 2024, his departure left a huge hole for the Chiefs to fill.
That said, the team made multiple moves at defensive tackle in free agency and the draft. Kansas City re-signed Mike Pennel, drafted Omar Norman-Lott, and signed Jerry Tillery. Of those three, Chiefs Kingdom may turn on Tillery the fastest.
Jerry Tillery Signing Already Raising Red Flags Among Chiefs Fans
To the dismay of many Chiefs fans, Kansas City brought Tillery in on a one-year deal to add depth to the defensive tackle room. The former first-round pick has spent most of his career in the AFC West with two separate teams. He spent his first four years with the Los Angeles Chargers and his next two with the Las Vegas Raiders.
While Tillery spent more time with the Chargers, he is most remembered for a dirty hit he laid on his former quarterback, Justin Herbert, when he was with the Raiders. Though dirty hits are never okay, they are at least more forgivable if a player performs well, which Tillery hasn't.
In six NFL seasons, the 28-year-old has only recorded 175 tackles, 15 TFL, 12.5 sacks, four pass deflections, and four forced fumbles. Even worse, he has just one season where he's graded above 60.0 in both pass and run defense, according to PFF.
For a former first-round pick, that is way below expectations. So, it's not surprising this move made Chiefs fans scratch their head. Sure, Tillery may be a good depth piece, but he’s unlikely to provide the kind of impact Chiefs fans expect from a complement to Chris Jones.
If Tillery fails to look good in training camp, fans will turn quickly on the signing. Nevertheless, the Chiefs will need the 28-year-old to put together one of the better seasons of his career for the signing to be seen as successful by many fans.