Will Chiefs' Defensive Tackle Attract Several Teams in Free Agency?

The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of players entering free agency this off-season. One of those players is Tershawn Wharton, who's been with the team for five years. Many teams are expected to pursue him, which diminishes the chances of a possible resignation with the Chiefs.

#Chiefs DT Tershawn Wharton is a name who could exceed expectations in free agency next week. Coming off an 8.5-sack season (including playoffs), the 26-year-old is in his prime and brings versatility as both a pass rusher and run defender—all traits teams covet.

The interior… pic.twitter.com/7ccfZVubKq
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 4, 2025

He's coming off of the best year in his career and will surely attract plenty of teams that need a pass rusher. Nobody knows if the Chiefs were planning on resigning him, but with more offers and fewer opportunities to match them, those chances become less likely.

Wharton had a good season on his own, but one has to wonder if that's due to him being surrounded by so much talent. George Karlaftis and Chris Jones had good seasons of their own as well, and they'll still be on the team. I don't think the Chiefs should be looking to re-sign him.

This could be a similar situation to what we saw with L'Jarius Sneed last off-season. He performed amazingly when he was on the Chiefs and wanted a big contract, but once he signed with the Tennessee Titans, his play declined.

Of course, Sneed got injured, and that's what led to a disappointing season. I don't wish that Wharton gets injured as well, but even with the limited snaps Sneed saw, he looked like a different player.

Their defensive tackle room is going to take a hit, as he isn't the only one leaving in free agency. Derrick Nnadi will be leaving, and so will Marlon Tuipulotu. Neither of those players recorded a sack last season, but even if that's the case, that's still a lot of depth that they no longer will have.

With a lot of players leaving, could the Chiefs defense still be as successful as it has been the past couple of years? Steve Spagnuolo has been known to bring out the most of his players and cook up defensive schemes that leave opposing quarterbacks' heads spinning.

I believe that as long as they still have him, their defense will, at worst, be in the middle of the pack. They can circumvent the issue of having so many defensive pieces leaving by targeting players on defense in the draft.

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