Best remaining players Kansas City Chiefs can sign in the legal tampering period to improve the 2025 roster in free agency

The Kansas City Chiefs were fairly active in the first wave of free agency. They retained three of their own players before the legal tampering period started. Once the bell rang, they had two deals ready to go, with 49ers' Jaylon Moore and Elijah Mitchell coming from the NFC West to the AFC West.  While funds might […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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Sep 7, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike (91) runs onto the field against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs were fairly active in the first wave of free agency. 

They retained three of their own players before the legal tampering period started. Once the bell rang, they had two deals ready to go, with 49ers' Jaylon Moore and Elijah Mitchell coming from the NFC West to the AFC West. 

While funds might be rather slim after their moves so far, the team likely has a few cards left to play and needs to fill in free agency. K.C. still has several free agents on the market, some of whom could even return if they're not getting as much interest as they thought they might.

They could also check out who remains on the market and find more new additions. Here are a few of the best need-based fits who could improve the roster's depth in 2025. . .

Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike

The Chiefs could reinforce the defensive trenches after losing Tershawn Wharton to the Carolina Panthers. A little bit surprising that he's still out there on the market. Here's what was written about Onwuzurike earlier this week: 

"If the Chiefs can't bring back Tershawn Wharton on a long-term deal, Onwuzurike might be the next best thing, potentially at a reasonable cost. At 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, Onwuzurike is a versatile piece who can play edge and 3-technique. He finished the 2024 NFL season with just three sacks but had the 16th-most pressures among interior defensive linemen with 47. Wharton came in at 22nd with 42 pressures on the season. This former second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft has 42 game appearances and 10 regular-season starts over the past four seasons. He missed the entire 2022 NFL season with a back injury."

Browns DT Dalvin Tomlinson

Tomlinson is a player set to be released at the start of the new league year, so he wouldn't be signed until Wednesday at the earliest (there are a few others KC should consider in this category, like Cooper Kupp and Kyle Juszczyk). The Chiefs should be rather judicious with any signings they make in the second wave of free agency, knowing they could have some compensatory picks coming their way if Justin Reid and Charles Omenihu sign deals soon. Tomlinson would not count toward the comp pick formula after his release. At 31 years old, Tomlinson recorded 11 run stops, 36 pressures, and four sacks in 2024. He had an 11.39% pressure rate as a true nose tackle. He could definitely bring some juice as a pass-rusher working beside Chris Jones. 

Bills DE Dawuane Smoot

A former third-round draft pick in 2017, Smoot is familiar with Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen. He played under Cullen in 2021 in Jacksonville, a season in which Smoot had career-highs in sacks (6), pressures (50), and run stops (20). He's coming off a down year as a rotational edge rusher with the Buffalo Bills, finishing the season on IR with a wrist injury. A fresh start in Kansas City with his old coach could yield some results in his age-30 NFL season. 

Titans WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

If the Chiefs aim to replace a Justin Watson-type in free agency, Westbrook-Ikhine certainly fits the mold. At 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, he's got ideal size for a boundary receiver. The 27-year-old was surprisingly productive on a very bad Titans team in 2025, posting 497 yards on 32 receptions with nine receiving touchdowns and perhaps the worst quarterback play in the NFL. He's also a core special teamer for Tennessee, which could make him a valuable asset for Dave Toub. 

Giants S Jason Pinnock

Another player that was covered earlier this week, Pinnock, could find a market once a few of the other safeties like Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, Justin Simmons, and others find homes. Here's what we said about him earlier this week:

Not many players stood out for the Giants over the past two seasons, but Pinnock was undoubtedly one of them. A former fifth-round pick out of Pitt in the 2021 NFL draft, Pinnock has started 32 consecutive games for the Giants. In that time, he notched 170 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions, including a 102-yard pick-six. At 6-foot and 200 pounds, he has the range to play single-high and the toughness to step into the box as a tackler and a blitzer. His versatility really paints him as the perfect fit in Steve Spagnuolo's scheme.

Giants QB Drew Lock

The Chiefs currently have two quarterbacks on the 90-man offseason roster, Patrick Mahomes and Chris Oladokun. Sure, they could look to a bad QB draft class and waste a pick or sign a priority UDFA, but why bother with that when you can snag a player like Lock? He's from the Kansas City area, playing high school football at Lee's Summit. He's not going to light the world on fire, but he's got a 10-18 career record in the 28 games he's started. Last year, with a horrendous New York Giants team, he went 1-4 as a starter, completing 107-of-181 passes for 1,071 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. I tend to think he'd be a low-cost investment who could see a bit of a career resurgence under Andy Reid at just 28 years old. 

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