The Kansas City Chiefs’ 90-man offseason roster still has a few spots that could use reinforcing as the team heads to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, for their 2026 NFL training camp.

This is where the foundation for the upcoming season gets laid, and where players battle for a spot on the 53-man roster. With several key roster battles on the horizon, Chiefs GM Brett Veach could have opportunities to bring in veteran free agents for tryouts or potential signings. Among the positions that could use extra attention, none stands out more than the defensive end position.

There appears to be a three-way competition for the starting spot opposite Chiefs DE George Karlaftis. Veach seems poised to let the competition play out without making any additions. However, that competition could use more juice and greater depth throughout.

Here’s a look at four free agent edge rushers who remain available and could make sense for Kansas City heading into camp.

Derek Barnett

A first-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL Draft, Barnett spent the last three years of his career in the AFC South. He appeared in all 17 games for the Houston Texans in 2025, but didn’t start a single one. He hasn’t started a game since the 2024 season. The 30-year-old still managed five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and eight tackles for loss in 2025.

This feels like the move with the highest floor for the Chiefs. At worst, Kansas City gets a rotational piece on the defensive line. At best, the team gets a player who creates competitive depth and forces the best out of younger edge rushers competing for roster spots. You need those guys competing during July and August so the team can have the best players on the field from September through February.

Emmanuel Ogbah

The 32-year-old Ogbah previously spent the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV-winning season in Kansas City. Veach acquired him in a player swap with the Cleveland Browns for defensive back Eric Murray. Ogbah was a second-round draft pick by Cleveland out of Oklahoma State in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Chiefs actually showed interest in a reunion with Ogbah in 2024, but he opted to return to Miami, where he had recorded 24.5 sacks over four prior seasons.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end is coming off a 2025 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which he appeared in 13 games, started 3, and recorded just half a sack and a pair of tackles for loss. It’s unclear if he wishes to continue his playing career, but if he does, the Chiefs could still be interested in that reunion. It might look a little different this time around, with him serving as mentor to a group of younger players.

Marcus Davenport

Davenport is coming off an injury-riddled two-year stint with the Detroit Lions, suffering a season-ending triceps injury after just three games in 2024 and a chest injury in 2025 that landed him on injured reserve after two games. He returned later that season, but it felt like he never got a real chance to show off his true talent in Detroit.

Davenport is four years removed from his career-best nine-sack season with the New Orleans Saints. At 29 years old, it might be worth bringing him to St. Joseph to see if he still has what it takes to produce at a high level. The very worst-case scenario here is that Davenport is a prove-it move the team could monitor throughout camp.

Dawuane Smoot

Smoot is a former third-round draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of the University of Illinois. He’s familiar with Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who coached him in 2021 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That season, Smoot posted career highs in sacks (6), pressures (50), and run stops (20).

He’s coming off a down year with Jacksonville in 2025, appearing in 17 games and recording 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and 5 quarterback hits. The season prior, he finished the year on injured reserve with a wrist injury while playing for the Buffalo Bills. A fresh start in Kansas City with his old coach could yield results in his age-31 NFL season.

The bigger picture for the Kansas City Chiefs’ edge rusher room

When push comes to shove, the Chiefs will have to decide whether they have the right pieces in place to field a more competitive defensive end room in 2026. There are plenty of skeptics who believe the team needs to add a player, potentially one of the four mentioned above.

The options may be slim, but you never know what could happen as Week 1 approaches. Surprise cuts could happen. Trades could transpire. If the Chiefs are looking to add a player during the early stages of training camp and get someone ready for the upcoming season, there are options available beyond just these four names.