The Chiefs entered the 2026 offseason with more needs than resources. Simply put, the Chiefs were never going to be able to address all of their needs with the amount of cap space and picks they had available. That's even more true after sending Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams.
No matter how you tiered out the Chiefs' needs in the offseason, there's no disagreement that fixing the pass rush had to be towards the top of their needs.
The Chiefs added veteran Khyiris Tonga in free agency to soldify their interior run defense. Besides adding Tonga, all of the upgrades to the Chiefs' pass rush rely on rookies or players who are essentially rookies (by games played) coming off of injuries (Omarr Norman-Lott).
The Chiefs ranked 26th in the NFL with 35 sacks, even more glaring the Chiefs ranked 29th on sacks that did not feature a blitz with 19. The Chiefs' pass rush was brutal overall and even worst if they weren't bring extra pressure. The best way to help a rebuilt secondary is to get pressure on the quarterback.
In theory, the upgrades to the Chiefs pass rush should be easy to improve upon. Last year, Mike Danna played 185 pass rush snaps and logged only 7 pressures for a 3.8% pressure rate, Charles Omenihu played 355 pass rush snaps and logging 35 pressures for a 9.9% pressure rate. On the inside Derrick Nnadi, Jerry Tillery and Mike Pennel combined for 419 pass rush snaps and combined for 11 pressures for a 2.3% pressure rate. Essentially, it would be hard for the Chiefs pass rush to be worse than it was last year.
However, with all that being said, the Chiefs' pass rush has lots of room to grow. It could take a step forward and still be well below average. Most of what the Chiefs are relying on is growth from young players.
Chiefs are putting too much faith in unproven rookies
In just 69 pass rush snaps Omarr Norman-Lott had a 9.9% pressure rate. While already a wasted pick, can the Chiefs get something better than Mike Danna from Felix Anudike-Uzomah? And of course, they are relying on Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas to help dramatically upgrade the pass rush.
With that being said, the track record of pass rushers drafted after pick 25 making an impact in their rookie year isn't good. Since 2020, there have only been three rookie defensive linemen drafted after pick 25 to rank in the top 30 in pressures amongst their position. Those player are: Kobie Turner in 2023, Christian Barmore in 2021 and Odafe Oweh in 2020. The Chiefs can't rely on Woods and Thomas to fix their pass rush.
However, there's definitely some names still available in free agency like Joey Bosa, Cameron Jordan and Jadeveon Clowney. Additionally, names like Josh Sweat have been rumored to be available in the trade market. The Chiefs pass rush could certainly take a step forward with an addition like these. However, the Chiefs will need to free up cap space to make those type of moves.
The optimist outlook is that the Chiefs veterans can be better through the additions of the rookies and Tonga. Can Chris Jones get back to being an all-pro caliber player with a better run stuffer in Tonga and better pass rushers next to him in Norman-Lott and Woods? Can a healthier George Karlaftis get back to double digit sacks with R Mason Thomas roaring off the other side and better pass rushers on the inside?
The Chiefs' pass rush is certainly a work in progress and the Chiefs' reworked secondary is going to have to hit the ground running. The notion that the Chiefs' pass rush is going to be dramatically improved might be rooted more in hope than fact.
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