Training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs is right around the corner, and with the annual trek to St. Joseph nearly here, we're examining every position group on the roster heading into camp.
We'll continue with the defensive line, where the Chiefs currently employ 16 players. Let's take a look at each, separated by defensive tackles and defensive ends.
Defensive Tackles
Let's start with the Chiefs' two returning contributors at defensive tackle from last season in Chris Jones and Omarr Norman-Lott, followed by first-round pick Peter Woods and free agent signing Khyiris Tonga. The rest of the Chiefs' defensive tackles are then listed alphabetically.
Chris Jones
A future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jones amassed 63 pressures in 17 games last season, ranking third among all interior defensive linemen.
In terms of traditional numbers, his 25 quarterback hits, 12 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks each led the team in 2025.
Jones – whose 87.5 sacks since 2016 rank seventh in the NFL among all players – has been an integral cornerstone of the Chiefs' run to three world championships, and now entering his 11th year as a professional, he'll have an opportunity to build on his already immense legacy in Kansas City.
Omarr Norman-Lott
The No. 63 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Norman-Lott recorded six pressures and a sack in five games last year before suffering a season-ending ACL injury.
Prior to getting hurt, Norman-Lott flashed the ability that earned him the top pass-rush win rate (12.6%) and win percentage (18.9%) of any interior defensive lineman in the FBS during his final collegiate season.
He tallied 27 pressures on his 139 pass-rush snaps in 2024, finishing second on Tennessee in pressures despite ranking 20th on the team in defensive snaps.
Additionally, the folks at PFF had Norman-Lott as the fourth-best interior defensive tackle in his draft class behind only Mason Graham, Walter Nolen and Kenneth Grant.
Norman-Lott was still working his way back to the field during offseason practices, but when healthy, he has immense potential as a force in the middle of Kansas City's defensive line.
Peter Woods
The No. 29 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Woods appeared in 35 games (with 24 starts) over the last three seasons at Clemson, which included at least 11 starts in each of the last two years.
A versatile player who possesses a unique blend of size and athleticism, the 6-foot-2, 298-pound Woods recorded a 1.67 10-yard split at his Pro Day, for example, which indicates a player with elite explosive ability.
Here's more from the folks at Pro Football Focus:
"Woods offers an ideal blend of size, strength and athleticism, with true scheme versatility. His explosive first step and ability to convert speed to power make him disruptive at the line of scrimmage. If he expands his pass-rush plan, he can turn pressures into more impactful production."
A player who many considered to be in contention for a top-five selection before the 2025 season began, Woods will have every opportunity to earn a significant role on the Chiefs' defensive front in 2026.
Khyiris Tonga
A big man at 6-foot-2, 335 pounds, Tonga appeared in 14 games for the New England Patriots last season, logging career-bests in snaps (337), defensive stops (13) and pressures (14).
He recorded at least 20 defensive snaps in 12 games (including the postseason), recording the top run-stop percentage (7.8%), which indicates the percentage of a player's run-defense snaps that resulted in a stop, of any interior lineman on the Patriots (when including the playoffs). For reference, that figure would have led the Chiefs' defensive tackles, too.
He likely fits as a major rotational contributor in the middle of Kansas City's defense this season, particularly on early downs.
Cole Brevard
A rookie free agent signee, the 6-foot-3, 343-pound Brevard began his collegiate career at Penn State (for one year) and later Purdue (where he spent three seasons) before transferring to Texas ahead of the 2025 campaign.
An explosive player, Brevard's 1.70 10-yard split at Texas' pro day would have ranked fourth among all defensive tackles at the NFL Scouting Combine, and of the players ahead of him, the heaviest in that group weighs in at 308 pounds. In other words, Brevard's combination of size and explosiveness is unique.
Marcus Harris
A "Reserve/Future" signee back in January, Harris was a seventh-round pick of the Texans in the 2024 NFL Draft before being part of Houston's final roster cuts prior to the 2024 campaign. He then went on to spend time on several practice squads (Houston, New England and Buffalo) before signing with the Chiefs' practice squad in late December.
The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Harris was the No. 15 overall defensive tackle available in his class according to Dane Brugler's draft guide following a senior season in which he led Auburn in sacks (7) and tackles-for-loss (11). Prior to transferring to Auburn ahead of the 2021 campaign, Harris spent the first two years of his career at the University of Kansas.
Amari McNeill
An undrafted free agent signee, McNeill – who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 287 pounds – appeared in 32 games for Colorado over the last three seasons, tallying 77 tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss, seven sacks and three forced fumbles in that time.
Prior to joining the Buffaloes, McNeill spent two seasons at Tennessee.
Damon Payne
Another rookie free agent signee, Payne recorded 348 defensive snaps during his lone season with the Wolverines, appearing in 13 games. Prior to transferring to Michigan, the 6-foot-3, 308-pound Payne played in 31 games with Alabama from 2022-24.
His 12 defensive stops last season ranked fourth among Michigan interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus.
Defensive Ends
Next, this breakdown of the Chiefs' defensive ends begins with George Karlaftis, last year's leader in defensive snaps among linemen, followed by a pair of recent Day 2 draft picks in Ashton Gillotte and R Mason Thomas.
The rest of the Chiefs' edge-rushers are then listed alphabetically.
George Karlaftis
A consistent contributor throughout his career in Kansas City, Karlaftis has ranked either first (2025) or second (2022-24) on the Chiefs in pressures since joining the team as a first-round pick in 2022.
He led Kansas City with 66 pressures in 2025 to go along with 23 quarterback hits, 10 tackles-for-loss and six sacks, trailing only defensive tackle Chris Jones in the latter three categories for the team-lead.
Now entering his fifth season in the NFL, Karlaftis will be relied upon heavily once again in 2026 as one of Kansas City's primary pass-rushers.
Ashton Gillotte
The No. 66 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Gillotte recorded 24 pressures, eight quarterback hits, three tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception last season. His 485 defensive snaps trailed only Karlaftis and Charles Omenihu among Chiefs' edge-rushers.
The University of Louisville product earned several opportunities to play as the year went on, logging at least 50% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps in each of Kansas City's final five games, and heading into 2026, he has a legitimate chance to earn a starting role opposite of Karlaftis.
R Mason Thomas
The No. 40 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, Thomas joins the Chiefs after racking up 22 tackles-for-loss, 15.5 sacks and four forced fumbles over his last 23 games.
His advanced metrics were impressive, too. Among edge-rushers with at least 190 pass-rush snaps last year, Thomas' pass-rush "grade" ranked 15th in the FBS according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, Thomas' 35.1% pass-rush "win rate" ranked ninth among all FBS edge-rushers with at least 150 pass-rush snaps.
An electric edge-rusher, Thomas – who checks in at 241 pounds – brings a different dynamic to the Chiefs' defensive front as a speed rusher who can impact the game with his lightning-quick release off the line. He'll have a shot to earn significant snaps in 2026, especially on obvious passing downs.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah
The Chiefs' first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Anudike-Uzomah suffered a hamstring injury in late August that ended his season before it began in 2025.
A Kansas City native and former Kansas State star, Anudike-Uzomah appeared in all 17 games for Kansas City in 2024, logging 332 snaps. He ended the season with 14 pressures, six tackles-for-loss, seven quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks.
Now healthy, he'll have an opportunity to earn a role on Kansas City's defensive line heading into 2026.
Vincent "VJ" Anthony Jr.
An undrafted free agent signee, the 6-foot-6, 259-pound Anthony appeared in 49 games (with 41 starts) over the last four seasons at Duke, logging 103 tackles, 29 tackles-for-loss, 15 sacks, eight passes defensed and a forced fumble.
He finished his collegiate career by playing his best football, too, as he led the Blue Devils in sacks and tackles-for-loss in 2025. He posted an impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine as well, recording the sixth-best broad jump (10 feet, 3 inches) among all edge-rushers at the event.
Here's more on Anthony from The Athletic's Dane Brugler:
"Anthony has a long, slender frame, with the rush juice and quick hands to work through the edges of blockers…He plays long with a rush arsenal that continues to ascend."
Ethan Downs
An undrafted free agent signee of the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, Downs joined the Chiefs' practice squad in late August before making his NFL debut in Week 18, where he forced a fumble in kickoff coverage.
The 6-foot-4, 263-pound Downs will now have a chance to build on that strong showing when training camp kicks off in St. Joseph.
Anthony Dunn
Another rookie free agent signee, the 6-foot-5, 246-pound Dunn appeared in 25 games over the last two years for Toledo, recording 57 total tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
Primarily an edge-rusher in college, Dunn was Pro Football Focus' No. 25-ranked edge defender among those with at least 300 defensive snaps last year. He was particularly effective against the run in 2025, tallying PFF's No. 19 run defense "grade" among that group of players.
Dunn spent two seasons at Florida A&M before transferring to Toledo, earning the No. 8 PFF overall "grade" among all FCS edge-rushers in 2023 (min. 450 defensive snaps).
Tyreke Smith
A fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Smith has appeared in three games during his NFL career.
The No. 24 overall edge-rusher in Dane Brugler's draft guide in 2022, an injury suffered in training camp ended Smith's rookie season before it began. He then went on to appear in one game for the Seahawks and two games with the Cardinals in 2023.
Smith has yet to appear in an NFL game during the time since, although he was elevated to the Chiefs' active roster in late December after spending the bulk of the season on Kansas City's practice squad.
The Bottom Line
The Chiefs have retained nine defensive linemen for Week 1 in each of the last two seasons, but they've kept as many as 10 in recent years, doing so in 2022 and 2020.
This group will have a new look this season, too, as defensive tackles Khyiris Tonga and Peter Woods are each set to take on significant roles.
In terms of how many (and which) players will make the squad out of camp, one decision the Chiefs' front office and coaching staff will need to make is how they want this group to be subdivided. Traditionally, the Chiefs have retained between five and six defensive ends and four defensive tackles. Last year, specifically, Kansas City kept five defensive ends and four tackles as part of its nine-man defensive front, doing so for a second time in a row.
George Karlaftis, Ashton Gillotte and R Mason Thomas are all expected to be significant contributors in 2026 at defensive end, while Felix Anudike-Uzomah will have every opportunity to earn a role following last year's season-ending injury. That then leaves potentially one to two spots remaining for the four other edge-rushers currently on the roster, and considering Downs' special teams prowess, he may have the inside track to a place on the roster.
At defensive tackle, it's reasonable to pencil in Chris Jones, Omarr Norman-Lott, Khyiris Tonga and Peter Woods as the Chiefs' four primary contributors, but we'll see what Cole Brevard, Marcus Harris, Amari McNeill and Damon Payne can do in camp. Injuries are common in the trenches, and even if those four don't make the initial 53-man roster, a spot on the practice squad could prove valuable in the long run, too.
