The Kansas City Chiefs typically hold back at the start of free agency, but not this year. General Manager Brett Veach had a plan to free up more cap space so he could make an early impact once free agency began and keep the foot on the gas, wheeling and dealing to reshape the 2026 roster.
To his credit, Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach made a strong start on Monday when the legal tampering period began. Within thirty minutes, the Chiefs signed Super Bowl LX MVP, running back Kenneth Walker III, and they were off to the races.
That early moment in free agency became a reality when Veach freed up cap space, made roster cuts, and committed to sign impactful free agents in the opening hours of free agency.
First, he had to decide the fate of his own roster. There were many players Veach knew he couldn’t sign, but among all the players he released, none were part of the bigger picture ahead. In fact, with so many players leaving, Kansas City now has only one player from its highly regarded 2022 draft class: George Karlaftis.
Still, for the Chiefs to make a splash early shows they’ve learned from their past mistakes. Additionally, they targeted Walker and didn’t back down until he agreed to a deal with Kansas City. Now the Chiefs have their first home run threat since Jamaal Charles.
Likely, the post-season didn’t sit well with Veach. With the additional time to prepare for the off-season, he made some tough choices by releasing veterans Mike Danna and Jawaan Taylor and trading Trent McDuffie in cap-cutting moves to set the stage for the free agent fireworks.
But he wasn’t done jettisoning key contributors like Jaylen Watson, Charles Omenihu, Leo Chenal, Isiah Pacheco, Joshua Williams, Gardner Minshew, Bryan Cook, Derrick Nnadi, and Malik Herring. That’s 12 players, mostly starters, whom he considered no longer good enough to wear a Chiefs uniform.
He did retain both Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton, which were smart decisions. Kelce has one more year left, and Thornton, under new Wide Receivers Coach Chad O’Shea, could have a bigger impact on the offense this season.
All those moves meant Veach could sign Walker, add free agent safety Alohi Gillman, and sign defensive tackle Kyiris Tonga. All three players addressed major needs for Kansas City that Veach targeted early in free agency.
Walker is the top running back in the NFL and a Super Bowl hero. He will add a dynamic element to the offense that Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy will leverage. His NFL success clearly shows that the Chiefs’ offense is ready to exploit his strengths.
That means we should see Patrick Mahomes under center more often and avoid the RPO nonsense that has slowed down the offense over the past two years. That shift is significant, and with this decision, signing a back like Walker was essential to its new beginning.
On the other side of the ball, Gillman replaces Cook, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Gillman is a versatile safety who will remind Chiefs fans of Justin Reid. Tonga is a true nose tackle who should help Chris Jones excel this season.
Once the dust settled, Veach added running back Emari Demercado to back up Walker, cornerback Kader Kohou to replace McDuffie in the slot, re-signed Guard Mike Caliendo, and traded for New York Jets Quarterback Justin Fields.
The plan was clear, but the message this off-season has sent to the Chiefs Kingdom should be loud and unmistakable. This team admitted their mistakes in roster building and coaching philosophy that led to an embarrassing Super Bowl loss and a disastrous 2025 season.
For a franchise that has enjoyed so much success over the past decade, admitting its mistakes is one thing, but addressing them requires setting aside egos and coming together as a unified organization with a clear plan.
With this renewed vigor and clarity since the season ended, I believe 2025 was just a minor setback in their pursuit of a dynasty. Let’s be frank, Andy Reid and Brett Veach work for Clark Hunt, and he was just as responsible for the wake-up call as anyone else. After all, he writes the checks.
The Chiefs head into the middle of March with additional cap space to tweak the roster and prepare for the 2026 Draft class. Yet, if they want to be aggressive, they can free up more money if they decide someone needs to be added to the roster in the coming days, weeks, or months.
Still, what they have accomplished so far is impressive, and if you look into the 2027 Crystal Ball, Kansas City could have $100 million in cap space.
I still believe they need to sign a pass rusher, which could be veteran Cameron Jordan, and a veteran wide receiver before the NFL Draft next month. That might be Tyreek Hill, but I would not rule out bringing back JuJu Smith-Schuster for one last season.
For now, the Chiefs have made their moves and will evaluate the updated roster. The NFL Draft, where they will have ten picks, including three in the Top 40, should help Kansas City find three starters to replace some of their losses, which has been their plan all along.
Regardless, they get high marks for pursuing their objective of reshaping their championship path.
