KC Chiefs players nearing end of their contract years

Khalen Saunders

If there’s a single player on this list who has taken all advice to heart and properly applied it at the right time, it’s Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders. The Chiefs’ fourth-year lineman is making good on his potential after years defined by injuries and inconsistency, and whatever the reason, Saunders is playing very well inside for K.C., which is going to bring some bidding in just a few months.

Saunders entered the NFL as a true developmental prospect who was a man among boys at Western Illinois. Questions about his ability to make the leap several levels to the pros forced him to drop to the third round, but it was impossible for the Chiefs to pass him up at that point, especially given how he looked in pre-draft workouts (earning the nickname “Aaron Donald of the FCS”).

Saunders was always a contributor even in spurts for the Chiefs, but he lacked a consistent presence due to his own lack of readiness as well as injuries that sidelined him for long stretches. This season, however, he’s taken the leap under a new positional coach in Joe Cullen and the Chiefs could not be happier. Especially in the wake of Turk Wharton’s season-ending injury, the emergence of Saunders came at an ideal time.

Last year at this time, the Chiefs were content to let Derrick Nnadi test the market (only to later re-sign him) and K.C. might want to do the same here. But other than Jones, no single player along the interior has the ceiling that Saunders does, even as a late bloomer. If there’s a way to keep him around for at least one more year to watch him grow, it’d be worth the signing.