The Chiefs must fortify their roster into a stronger group this offseason. We have looked into stars and bargain options for Kansas City to consider. However, there is an additional element for them to ponder in free agency. Are there any players worth stealing who were part of AFC West rivals?
The fierceness of this division remains at the forefront after all these years. AFC West rivals never hesitate to add pieces that directly thwarted them in the past. The Chiefs could easily go down that road this offseason.
Here are three intriguing free agent options who could leave an AFC West home for K.C. Let's start with a physical defensive lineman.
John Franklin-Myers
The Denver Broncos essentially ended up trading a bag of chips to acquire John Franklin-Myers from the New York Jets entering 2024. It culminated in an immediate steal for the Broncos' defense. Franklin-Myers set a career high with seven sacks during his first year with Denver in that 2024 campaign. He narrowly increased that to 7.5 sacks this past season.
Franklin-Myers graded out just as effectively against the run in 2025. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 25th-best defensive tackle against the run. His grade was a little higher in the pass-rush department. Franklin-Myers has presented a well-rounded profile for much of the last few years.
Not only can Franklin-Myers impact both the run and the pass, he is someone who offers a bit of versatility to a defense. Franklin-Myers can play nose tackle, or you will see him slide out to 5-tech and put pressure on opposing offensive tackles.
Franklin-Myers has a good mix of length, heavy hands, and density. The Chiefs and Steve Spagnuolo have had plenty of success when incorporating those types of defensive linemen. Kansas City desperately needs that steadiness up front. Spotrac projects Franklin-Myers earning the most per season of the three names we will list here. His market is expected to be robust. Nonetheless, Kansas City could still compete for Franklin-Myers, with his projected average annual value sitting around $7.9 million.
Da'Shawn Hand
Let's stick with a veteran defensive line option. Da'Shawn Hand may not be a name that grabs major headlines from fans online. But if Kansas City were to add him to the fold, Hand immediately becomes someone who stabilizes the run defense.
The Chiefs have not been completely demoralized by opposing run games recently. Hand gives you significant teeth and punch in the middle of the defensive line, though. 2025 was his lone season with the Los Angeles Chargers. Hand tied a career high in tackles for loss (five). On the flip side, he swatted down a lot more passes than usual. That affected late downs, even with his run prowess in hand.
Adding Hand would give Kansas City a sense of reliability and trust at defensive tackle. The Chiefs rarely had that at all last year next to Chris Jones. Omarr Norman-Lott's injury put a wrench into that. And to put a cherry on top of Hand's free agency outlook, he is expected to come at a low price. Spotrac expects him to earn around $3.9 million per season on his next deal. The Chargers already extended Teair Tart. Kansas City now receives a likelier shot to swoop in.
Benjamin St-Juste
Benjamin St-Juste was a late bloomer in his football career. He did not start playing as early as everyone else before his college career. Coming out of Canada, development and time were necessary for St-Juste to find his footing. That transition continued from his college days to his stint with the Washington Commanders.
St-Juste experienced plenty of bumps in the road with Washington. Coming to the Chargers last season, he had his best career year. Even that seemed to fly under the radar a bit on a good L.A. defense.
St-Juste received an overall defensive grade of 76.3 in 2025. PFF also gave him a 77.8 coverage grade. St-Juste even showed plenty of resilience in run support with the Chargers, missing just one tackle across 378 total snaps.
St-Juste offers the size and length that Kansas City generally covets with their defensive backs. It is not a guarantee that he starts. But even as a sub-package defensive back, St-Juste could come in and offer massive reach in man coverage. The Chiefs do not have to break the bank with this move, either. Spotrac projects St-Juste earns around $1.7 million per year on his next contract.