Silver And Black Pride
The Chiefs strengths and weaknesses after free agency and the draft
It’s always important to keep an eye on the Las Vegas Raiders’ rivals, and recently, I received a mailbag question about what the other teams in the AFC West's weaknesses and/or question marks are after free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. But the answer is long-winded and deserving of an offseason review series, starting with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Key Additions: OT Jaylon Moore (SF), CB Kristian Fulton (LAC), S Mike Edwards (TB)
Key Losses: OL Joe Thuney (via trade to CHI), S Justin Reid (NO), DL Tershawn Wharton (DL), WR DeAndre Hopkins (BAL)
To be honest, the Chiefs' biggest “addition” in free agency was using the franchise tag on guard Trey Smith. He’s one of the better interior offensive linemen in the league, and the club is currently working on extending Smith. However, that did come at the cost of trading Thuney, who struggled as the team’s emergency left tackle but is a quality guard.
That leads to the big remaining question in Kansas City from last season: Who is going to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side? Moore is the most logical answer since he signed a two-year, $30 million contract in free agency. But the former 49er has never taken more than 275 snaps in a season during his four-year career, per Pro Football Focus.
On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs made a solid pickup at cornerback with Fulton. He was a decent player for the Chargers last season and could take over as the defense’s No. 2 corner behind Trent McDuffie. However, going from Reid to Edwards is a downgrade at safety. Granted, Jaden Hicks and Bryan Cook return and are projected to be the starters on the backend.
Additionally, Wharton is an underrated loss as an interior pass-rusher who could take some pressure off Chris Jones. That said, I do think the addition of Omarr Norman-Lott via the draft is a decent replacement option.
Additions: LT Josh Simmons (1st round), DT Omarr Norman-Lott (2nd round), EDGE Ashton Gillotte (3rd round), CB Nohl Williams (3rd round), WR Jalen Royals (4th round), LB Jeffrey Bassa (5th round), RB Brashard Smith (7th round)
Simmons is the other contender to win the left tackle job this season. However, he is coming off a torn patellar tendon that could cause him to take more of a ‘redshirt year’ as a rookie, so to speak. If he’s healthy and returns to form, though, I’d expect the Ohio State product to be in the starting lineup.
Gillotte is probably more of a long-term pick than someone Kansas City is expecting to contribute right away. His game is similar to George Karlaftis’—whose contract expires after the 2026 campaign—and Charles Omenihu projects as the first defensive end off the bench behind Karlaftis and Mike Danna. But Omenihu is entering a contract year.
Meanwhile, Williams can compete for an outside cornerback spot and is a ballhawk,...
