The Kansas City Chiefs are ready to put the 2025 NFL season behind them and begin further building their roster for the 2026 NFL season, when legal tampering begins on Monday, March 9, ahead of free agency.

With all the excitement set for this week, we’re continuing our offseason mailbag series and answering all of the biggest burning questions for Chiefs Kingdom. Be on the lookout for posts on my social media channels on X, BlueSky, and Facebook seeking questions for the mailbags. We’re aiming to stick with a bi-weekly cadence throughout the offseason. You can find our last mailbag here.

This week, we’ll cover questions about the Trent McDuffie trade and how it impact on plans for pick No. 9, Esa Pole & Chu Godrick’s 2025 auditions, Riq Woolen as an option in place of Jaylen Watson, my favorite combination of free agents to fill holes before the draft, and who to pick at No. 9 if RB/DL are addressed in free agency.

Kansas City Chiefs Free Agency Mailbag – Week of Mar. 9th, 2026

How do you think the McDuffie trade affects the likelihood the Chiefs trade the 9th pick and move (either direction, up or back) – Zac

Well, I think the Trent McDuffie trade definitely makes a trade-up much more likely than before because they’ve actually got a surplus of draft capital to play around with. The only problem is they’ve got a ton of roster holes to fill. I spoke a bit with our Tennessee Titans reporter, Easton Freeze, about the one scenario where I see a trade-up as likely. As for a trade down from No. 9, I’d be really surprised if they took that route. Those at the highest levels of the organization view this as a one-time opportunity to acquire a premium player during the Patrick Mahomes era. It’d have to take quite the haul and a really good-looking draft board for them to consider moving down from No. 9, even if it’s only just a few spots. As for No. 29, trading back from that pick is a whole different story. You’re in the perfect spot to leverage a trade with a QB-needy team. You could also trade it away or make a pick that sabotages the Denver Broncos, who are sitting at pick No. 30.

Do Esa Pole and Chu Godrick’s late-season auditions give you confidence that either can be decent if pressed into service in 2026? – Shawn Willemse

I don’t think the Chiefs would have moved off Jawaan Taylor had they not had some confidence in their O-Line depth and in what they saw in Esa Pole and Chu Godrick. I know there are some reports out there that Jaylon Moore will be the starter at right tackle, but we also thought Jawaan Taylor might play left tackle at this time last year. I get the sense that with six players under contract who can all realistically play right tackle opposite Josh Simmons, we’ll get a pretty fierce competition during the offseason.

I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that Pole or Godrick earn that spot over Moore. Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck has been very adamant about Godrick’s development and improvements over the past few years. Pole’s ability to jump right back into the system and play also impressed the coaching staff, and I’ve always been a fan of his game as a player who hasn’t played much football. I also wouldn’t rule out guys like Ethan Driskell or Matt Waletzko coming out of nowhere and surprising some folks.

Do you think the Chiefs would go after Riq Woolen if they don’t re-sign Watson? – TylerKC

I don’t know that Riq Woolen particularly fits the type of cornerback the Chiefs will be looking for. I think they’re comfortable and confident with Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton as their boundary starters, which leaves the need to find someone who can play nickel and also depth for the boundary. In terms of free agent fits, I think New Orleans Saints CB Alontae Taylor fits the mold better than a player like Woolen because of his flexibility to play both nickel and outside. Woolen played just 13 snaps in the slot in 2025 to 761 snaps outside. Compare that to Taylor, who had 566 snaps in the slot and 299 on the outside. Ideally, you get someone who is a very good slot corner that can play the boundary in a pinch, if, say, Williams or Fulton got hurt. I’m not sure the Chiefs can afford Taylor, but he’s the mold of player I’d be looking at.

Now that some cuts have been made and KC has some cap what’s your favorite combination of FAs that could fill some holes before the draft? – John Corriveau

I think we’ll see investment in running back, edge, safety, and wide receiver to varying degrees. It starts with the Chiefs trying to make a splash at running back. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III or Jags RB Travis Etienne Jr., in the $ 10M-$12M-per-year range. It just feels like there’s too much smoke there for the team not to come away with one of those players, but I’ll also throw out Panthers RB Rico Dowdle as a potential backup plan.

The next spot I’m looking for help is the safety position. Yes, it’s a deep draft class, but this team has seen a ton of success signing guys at that position. I like Cards S Jalen Thompson, Colts S Nick Cross, or Jets S Tony Adams, somewhere in the $ 5M-$10M-per-year range. I think they won’t be too far off from what Bryan Cook will get, but he’ll be just outside of what they’re willing to spend.

Looking for a low-end starting edge rusher would be ideal for Kansas City. Seahawks DE Boye Mafe, Packers DE Kingsley Enagbare, and Ravens DE Dre’Mont Jones all make sense on a multi-year deal in the range of $6-$12M-per-year average. I think they’d have a lot of interest in Packers DE Rashan Gary if he were released. I wouldn’t be shocked to see something lesser for Saints DE Cam Jordan or Dolphins DE Bradley Chubb, either.

I’m not as high on chasing this free agent WR class. I think there are guys who fit, but you’re probably going to have to overpay for the top-end guys like Packers WR Romeo Doubs, Colts WR Romeo Doubs, and Bucs WR Mike Evans. I won’t be shocked if they’re looking for some high-upside types on a one-year or two-year deal, combined with a draft investment. Vikings WR Jalen Nailor might turn out to be the prize of free agency at the wide receiver position. WRs Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, and Dyami Brown, who were with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy in Washington, make sense to me. I also wouldn’t hate it if they just re-signed Tyquan Thornton and actually used him.

If they have any spending power left after these four spots, I think they’ll be bargain shopping for QB, OL, CB, TE, DL, and more RB depth. I wouldn’t be shocked to see swings on guys coming off injury, like Dolphins CB Kader Kohou, or on RFA’s who don’t get tendered offers, like Bucs RB Sean Tucker or Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell.

If the Chiefs somehow came out of free agency with Kenneth Walker III, Jalen Thompson, Cam Jordan, Jalen Nailor, Sam Howell, John FitzPatrick, Roy Lopez, Kader Kohou, and Sean Tucker, I’d call that a major win.

If the Chiefs address the RB and DL rooms in free agency, who would you most like to see them take at 9? – Mike Nugent

I think the Chiefs are in a prime position to get one of the top three receivers at No. 9. I feel like there’s always more offensive tackles than expected that go early in the draft. Sonny Styles’ combine is certainly beneficial given the teams picking ahead of Kansas City. There’s always the possibility that a quarterback like Alabama’s Ty Simpson sneaks into the top-10. I really wouldn’t be shocked if both USC’s Makai Lemon and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson are sitting there at No. 9 from Kansas City to choose from.

Of the two, I find myself leaning towards Tyson after learning that his medicals came back positive at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. I keep recalling a conversation that I had with former ECU WR Davon Grayson at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine about the size and skill sets the Chiefs told him they covet at wide receiver. It’s Tyson in a nutshell, and I truly think that Patrick Mahomes could turn him into the next big star receiver in the NFL.

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