Arrowhead Pride
For the fourth straight year, I’m considering the 10 biggest questions I have for the Kansas City Chiefs for 2026. Here are the questions I’ve pondered so far:
One of the biggest areas the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled with during the last two seasons is pass rush, particularly with a typical four-man rush.
During the 2024 season, the Chiefs were 30th in pressure rate without a blitz at 25% and 29th in sack rate at 4.7%, according to Next Gen Stats. Those marks improved in 2025, but not by much: the same pressure stat ranked 17th at 31%, and the sack rate was 14th at 6.9%.
The pass rush’s flaws seemed to stand out particularly in the fourth quarter of games. When Kansas City needed to get stops against teams like the Los Angeles Chargers during Week 1, the Buffalo Bills during Week 10, the Denver Broncos during Week 11, and the Dallas Cowboys during Week 13, the defense was unable to generate enough of a pass rush to close games out.
The Chiefs have recognized this issue over the last two years.
It’s proven by draft investment: in 2025, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott and defensive end Ashton Gillotte were taken with picks No. 63 and 66, respectively.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs didn’t get immediate results from the duo, with Norman-Lott’s early-season ACL tear playing a major role. Still, he had only 45 pass-rush snaps before his injury and finished with four pressures and a sack.
It’s hard to understand exactly what the Chiefs have with Norman-Lott due to the injury and a small, rookie-season sample, but there isn’t even much of a collegiate sample of his skill set. Over five college seasons, Norman-Lott played less than 1,000 snaps. During his senior year at Tennessee, he averaged around 17 snaps a game. He was a rotational player in college.
There’s no doubt that Norman-Lott has talent. He’s an explosive, slippery pass rusher who can get underneath interior offensive linemen. He’s effective at getting upfield and creating pressure, particularly from the nose tackle spot. However, that talent has never translated into a full-time role, as his lack of size and length has negatively affected his run defense.
There is a role for Norman-Lott in pass-rush situations, particularly when playing off three-technique tackles Peter Woods or Chris Jones as the one-technique tackle. That’s a limited role, but still one he could succeed in.
The question is whether Norman-Lott can do enough as a pass rusher to justify playing him in those situations. If Norman-Lott doesn’t get pressure, his reason to be on the field weakens; it will be key factor in observing his Year 2 development.
Gillotte’s rookie season showed good...
