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Adam Teicher
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Following a season in which the Chiefs went through four left tackles and allowed Patrick Mahomes to be sacked six times in their Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, there’s little doubt about where the team’s priorities lie as it prepares for this year’s scouting combine.
The Chiefs will be looking to fix their offensive line, particularly to find a player who can be a dependable left tackle. Kansas City has gone through several players since releasing longtime left tackle Eric Fisher after the 2020 season.
Orlando Brown Jr. occupied the spot for two years before becoming a free agent and signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Donovan Smith was their left tackle in 2023 but was out of the NFL last season.
The Chiefs tried two young players, Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris, at left tackle in 2024 but each played so poorly they were subsequently benched. The team tried veteran D.J. Humphries, but he wasn’t the answer.
They eventually moved guard Joe Thuney to left tackle but always looked at him as a stopgap, not a permanent solution. It’s also unlikely they have next year’s starting left tackle on their roster. Suamataia was playing guard when he resurfaced in the lineup late in the season. Morris may not have a future with the Chiefs at any position. Humphries is a potential free agent.
The Chiefs have the No. 31 pick of the 2025 draft and may not find a suitable available tackle in a year when the draft isn’t well-stocked at the position. They’ve run into that problem in recent years and wound up drafting Suamataia in the second round last year and Morris in the third round in 2023.
General manager Brett Veach has said he doesn’t expect the Chiefs to be particularly active in free agency this season beyond attempts to sign some of their own potential free agents, a list that includes guard Trey Smith, wide receiver Hollywood Brown, linebacker Nick Bolton and safety Justin Reid.
If the Chiefs are spectators during free agency, their roster improvement will come from rookies. That’s why Veach guarded the Chiefs’ draft picks in the first three rounds rather than sending them off in trade for players who could have helped them last season.
Kansas City has four picks in the first three rounds in this year’s draft, including an extra third-rounder from the Tennessee Titans after last year’s trade that sent cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to Tennessee.
Elsewhere, the Chiefs will likely be looking for help on the defensive line. They’ll bring back Chris Jones, Mike Danna and former first-round draft picks George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah but could lose Charles Omenihu and Tershawn Wharton to free agency.
Kansas City will also look to add at cornerback, where it has Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. But the team struggled to find someone reliable in nickel coverage and to start when Watson missed half the season with a broken fibula and tibia.
Wide receiver is also a need. The Chiefs have last year’s first-round draft pick, Xavier Worthy, and they are counting on a return from Rashee Rice, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. But they don’t have much depth, particularly if Brown leaves as a free agent.
The Chiefs could also use a versatile running back to provide some relief for Isiah Pacheco and a linebacker if Bolton, a four-year starter, leaves in free agency. Tight end is also a need regardless of what Travis Kelce decides on retirement. Kelce, who will turn 36 in October, caught 97 passes but had career lows in yards (823) and touchdowns (three) last season.