The Hard Truth Chiefs Must Accept About Their Roster

It goes without saying that the 2025 season for the Kansas City Chiefs was a colossal failure, as the team went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Experiencing this type of downfall in Patrick Mahomes' prime illustrates how inept and worn down the foundation was around the 30-year-old quarterback.

Mahomes certainly had his share of the blame for the Chiefs' pitfalls this past season, but when assessing what he had at his disposal and the fact that Kansas City had no pass rush to speak of, it would have been a tall task for any quarterback to succeed within those parameters.

Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu (45) pressures Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

On Monday, PFF released the first part of their top 101 players of the 2025 season. Chiefs' defensive tackle Chris Jones was ranked at No. 100, and cornerback Trent McDuffie was ranked at No. 87.

Throughout the week, the list has steadily counted down towards No. 1, which will be revealed at some point in the coming days. There are still 20 players to be named, but no Chiefs were listed from 80-21, which was alarming, to say the least. This list is not the end-all, be-all, but it does paint a vivid picture of how underwhelming Kansas City's roster was in 2025. Here are a couple of takeaways from PFF's rankings so far.

The Chiefs' Roster is Top-Heavy

Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This is a fairly obvious statement, but it becomes even more apparent when examining Kansas City's cap situation and the need to create financial flexibility.

On Wednesday, reports surfaced that the Chiefs restructured Mahomes' contract, which freed up $43.5 million and lowered the star quarterback's 2026 cap hit to $34.6 million. Even then, Kansas City is still $11.3 million over the cap. There are still several moves to free up a significant amount of cap space, but this shows how dependent the Chiefs were on veteran players, such as Mahomes and Jones, to carry the team to the playoffs.

Kansas City's Plan of Attack This Offseason is Clear

Jul 26, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass as general manager Brett Veach watches in the background during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Chiefs' front office needs to embody this saying: quantity over quality. Kansas City needs to strengthen its depth, rather than trying to hit a home run with a marquee signing or draft pick. Now, it will be difficult to incorporate this strategy into Kansas City's current financial constraints and limited draft capital, but General Manager Brett Veach must find a way to surround Mahomes with support and competency on both sides of the ball.

In years past, we have seen the Chiefs overvalue speed and name value, and that has been a major factor in why Kansas City has underwhelmed in recent drafts. Instead of drafting or signing a player that will steal the headlines, the Chiefs need to recognize that what has been the key to success for teams around the league is winning the battle at the line of scrimmage and controlling the tempo with the run game.

This should be even more of a focal point with Mahomes coming off a torn ACL. Kansas City's front office and coaching staff need to recalibrate their vision and schematics for this roster.

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