This Is Biggest Question Chiefs Didn’t Address in Free Agency

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – While the NBA tries to reel in tanking before it gets out of control, the perception that NFL teams intentionally lose late-season games to better their draft position is really a non-starter.

Coaches and players care too much about winning.

rei — Dec 25, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid during the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Take the Chiefs, for instance. They wound up with a brutal draft position at ninth overall, likely eliminating them from Jeremiyah Love and two of the draft’s best three edge rushers. And while they lost every game after Nov. 23, they fought valiantly to win every one.

Kansas City wanted victories so badly last year that two key rookies – wide receiver Jalen Royals and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa – got minimal snaps from scrimmage.

Even after knee surgery ended Patrick Mahomes’ season, with the Chiefs spiraling in a year-ending six-game losing streak, the Chiefs never really found out what they have in the two players, who both seem pivotal to their future.

At least Kansas City re-signed Tyquan Thornton to somewhat address a glaring hole at wide receiver. The Chiefs also brought back return-specialist and part-time wide receiver Nikko Remigio. And next month’s deep draft figures to provide at least one solid wideout, either in the first round or on Day 2.

Who gets Leo Chenal's job is huge question mark

But free agency didn’t address one of Steve Spagnuolo’s most significant holes, Leo Chenal’s unique contributions at outside linebacker. Chenal, who signed a three-year, $24.75 million deal with the Commanders, did everything for Spagnuolo. He plastered tight ends in coverage, hammered offensive tackles with edge pressure and played the run with unique expertise. He even lined up as a zero-technique in the face of the center.

Bassa, a 6-2, 235-pound linebacker out of Oregon, could be the answer. But that’s the issue. The Chiefs don’t know. They invested a fifth-round pick in him a year ago but he wound up playing only 39 defensive snaps as a rookie – 22 of which came in the season-finale at Las Vegas.

Undrafted player might have inside track on Bassa

Cooper McDonald, not Bassa, got the start in that Jan. 4 season-finale. An undrafted rookie out of TCU, McDonald played 57 total snaps from scrimmage as a rookie (37 over the season’s final two games, when Chenal’s shoulder landed him on season-ending injured reserve). McDonald could be the answer to replace Chenal, but the Chiefs chose Bassa in the fifth round and opted to sign McDonald after the draft.

Jack Cochrane, who briefly tested free agency before re-signing with the Chiefs this month, is another candidate. A 6-3, 236-pound veteran from South Dakota, Cochrane (61) didn’t play many more defensive snaps than McDonald or Bassa. Plus, he’s more of a backup for Nick Bolton in the middle, although Drue Tranquill got the green-dot communications helmet when Bolton went down briefly, allowing him to communicate with Spagnuolo.

Each of those linebackers, including Chenal, were critical special-teams contributors in 2025. Dave Toub said late in the season that McDonald actually was their best player, based on the Chiefs’ internal point system.

But the Chiefs need someone to start at outside linebacker more than they need another special-teams maven. And two-and-a-half weeks after free agency opened, the Chiefs don’t appear to have a solid path forward to replace Chenal.