The Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2026 season with the least fanfare that they’ve had this decade. They finished 2025 at 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the Patrick Mahomes era began in 2018.
They made a couple of big-splash moves in the offseason, but there is a considerable amount of continuity on the squad.
Mahomes is expected to begin the season under center after a rapid recovery from a torn ACL and LCL in his knee that ended his 2025 campaign.
Roster Depth
The Chiefs are stocked up at the quarterback position after bringing in Justin Fields from the New York Jets. He has starting experience and can add a rushing element for trick plays and short-yardage situations. They also drafted seventh-rounder Garrett Nussmeier, who projects as a long-term option.
They made a big splash early in free agency bringing in running back Kenneth Walker III from the Seattle Seahawks. He’s expected to transform the offense to be more run heavy than they have been in Mahomes’ tenure. They drafted combo back Emmett Johnson in the fifth round, and he had a good preseason. Holdover Brashard Smith is the final back on the roster as they made the peculiar move to only keep three running backs. Smith is expected to handle most of the special-teams duties.
The Chiefs also really improved their defensive line. They took defensive tackle Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, and their explosiveness flashed in the preseason.
The Question Marks
The Chiefs have an abundance of options at wide receiver, but they’re going to have to serve up the proverbial death by a thousand cuts because they really lack consistency. Rashee Rice enters a contract year as the WR1, but he has played just 12 games the last two seasons due to injuries and off-the-field transgressions. Xavier Worthy clocks in as the WR2, but he has yet to prove he can be a legitimate second option. He, too, has dealt with injuries, and one of them popped up again in the preseason with his shoulder. After that, you have a hodgepodge of Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen. You really have to hope Rice stays healthy and another receiver emerges, which is a lot to ask.
The Chiefs traded shutdown corner Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, who then signed him to a massive extension. The Chiefs traded up in the first round of the draft to take LSU corner Mansoor Delane, but he missed most of the preseason due to a shoulder ailment. He’s a talented athlete, but he’s behind the curve, and the rest of the corps doesn’t move the needle. Corner L’Jarius Sneed returns, but he’s coming off injury-riddled years with Tennessee. After that, they’re extremely thin with projects Nohl Williams, Jadon Canady, Kristian Fulton and Chris Roland-Wallace.
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