The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is officially in the books, with the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the league now turning attention to free agency.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach still has work to do to get the team salary cap compliant ahead of the new league year on March 11. There will be several moves across the NFL over the next seven days that will set the table for the legal tampering period beginning on Monday, March 9.

With the combine behind us, the offseason plans for Kansas City are further taking shape. Here’s a look at some of the things that have been learned about the team’s plans for free agency over the past week in Indy.

Bryan Cook, Jaylen Watson, Leo Chenal, and cognitive dissonance

The bill is coming due for the Chiefs’ 2022 NFL Draft class, and there’s definitely some in the building who are feeling torn. On one hand, S Bryan Cook, CB Jaylen Watson, and LB Leo Chenal were instrumental in bringing multiple championships to Kansas City. On the other hand, Brett Veach and company know that long-term roster health probably prevents you from re-signing all three of those players.

Word out of the combine is that Cook could command a contract in excess of $14M average per year. There are going to be younger and cheaper options in free agency, like Indianapolis Colts S Nick Cross, New York Giants S Dane Belton, New York Jets S Andre Cisco, and Baltimore Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington. The draft class is also considered extremely deep at the safety position. It’s a spot that K.C. could double-dip with a low-cost free agent signing and a draft pick.

Watson is expected to earn upward of $12M average per year, and while the team would prefer to keep him around, they’ve already got a young corner waiting in the wings in Nohl Williams. There’s also the fact that paying Watson is very difficult if the Chiefs are serious about extending Trent McDuffie (we’ll touch on that later).

Chenal is one that the team would really like back, but paying linebackers a premium in free agency isn’t exactly good business. The Chiefs already are spending the third-most cap dollars in the league on linebackers with contracts for Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill on the books. This is also viewed as a deep linebacker class, and the K.C. knows they could be in a position to draft one of the best. It’s a tough spot, but they’ll stay in touch with his agents because you never truly know how things will play out in free agency until the bullets are flying.

What’s going on with Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor?

Update: The Chiefs have informed RT Jawaan Taylor that he will be released unless they find a trade partner, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach weighed in on Jawaan Taylor and whether or not he’d be released for salary cap savings during his media availability at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. From what I’ve been told, there’s some reluctance to move on from Taylor despite the $20M in salary cap savings he’d produce. Even with his penchant for pre-snap penalties, he’s started a lot of games for the team and has done an admirable job in pass protection. They also don’t exactly have a definite replacement option waiting in the wings, which is scary when you’ve got a quarterback coming off an ACL and LCL injury.

For the team to feel comfortable with such a move to release Taylor, they’d like some assurances that they can land certain players in free agency with the cap dollars they’d save. Alternatively, the Chiefs know this isn’t a particularly strong tackle class in free agency of the 2026 NFL Draft, so if they were to move on, they’d prefer to see if they can get something in return for him. Ultimately, his name is one to monitor during the legal tampering period, knowing that outside free agent deals cannot be negotiated until then. This is truly one of the few players on the roster for whom keep, cut, and trade are all still options on the table.

The latest on Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie

Another topic from Chiefs GM Brett Veach’s podium session was that the team was set to meet with McDuffie’s agents to try to hash out a contract extension. They spoke, and ever since, the silence surrounding the situation has been palpable. Good, bad, or indifferent, that typically is a sign that work is being done behind the scenes. The question is: What kind of work is being done behind the scenes?

While the Chiefs’ preference would be to extend McDuffie, there is a scenario where a trade makes the most sense for both sides. Veach admitted the team is rebuilding, and while shipping off premium talent in trade is a tough pill to swallow, it’s sometimes for the better (see: Tyreek Hill).

It’s worth noting that one popular mock trade candidate for McDuffie, the Los Angeles Rams, just named Jimmy Lake as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Why does that matter? Lake was with the University of Washington from 2014 through 2021, filling every position from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator to head coach. He was also the primary recruiter for McDuffie with the Huskies.

So, where and how will the Chiefs spend their free agency dollars?

So, this all brings us to the fun stuff. Who will the Chiefs add in free agency to help them as they seek to put their disappointing 6-11 2025 NFL season behind them? You’ve probably heard the buzz attaching them to Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne by now. There seems to be quite a bit of smoke around that potential pairing, but one of Brett Veach’s quotes from the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine really stood out. He was asked about using a first-round pick on a running back vs. a late-round pick, and he ended up giving an exposé on positional value.

“I mean, it’s a great question, and I think there’s the old school – I mean, you’re always going to (look at) o-line (and) d-line – those positional values are there (and) you see them in free agency,” Veach said. “But at the same time, I mean arguably some of the best players in this draft are maybe at non-premium position when you look at the Ohio State linebacker (Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles), the Notre Dame running back (Jeremiyah Love), the safety at Ohio State (Caleb Downs) and those are really, really good players it’s hard to find faults with their tape, I rarely saw it. Again, some of those more premium positions (like) interior d-line (and) edge rushers, they’re hard to find. With those guys, the problem is they’re hard to find, and then they don’t really become available in free agency. Some of those other positions, they’re good players, you’ll probably eventually get a chance to get some of those positions in free agency. That’s the thing you just have to go through and weigh out all the options. But at the end of the day, I think when a guy is going to come in here and be a great contributor on the field (and) off the field, stick to that old mantra and take the best player available, right?”

Maybe this was just Veach deflecting from the fact that they’re interested in Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love at No. 9 overall. Reading between the lines, I feel it’s pretty clear that the Chiefs will prioritize premium positions (OT, DT, DE, and WR), should those players actually reach free agency.

This interior defensive line free agency class is not particularly strong. Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT Logan Hall might fit the mold. Ultimately, I’m not sure I see a big contract coming at that position in free agency. The edge rusher position, however, has some depth of options that could be appealing.

Seattle Seahawks DE Boye Mafe, whom Kansas City had interest in and nearly acquired at the trade deadline, is likely to hit free agency with the reigning Super Bowl champions having a lot of contracts to handle. That’s something I expect the team to revisit should he actually make it to the market. Green Bay Packers DE Kingsley Enagbare and Indianapolis Colts DE Kwity Paye are other names to watch.

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