Welcome back to the Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! Throughout the offseason, watch for your opportunity to submit your Kansas City Chiefs questions in The Feed, which is found on AP’s home page.
The NFL Draft has come and gone. Let’s find out what our readers are wondering after the Chiefs added seven new players.
I’m really just dumbfounded over picking edge rusher R. Mason Thomas pick. Not the prospect- but the scheme fit overall. Pick No. 40 for a situational pass rusher seems steep. You expect starter-caliber 3-down players with that kind of draft capital.
What was general manager Brett Veach’s strategy here?
Will defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and staff even use him?
Spagnuolo can be stubborn; almost three decades in the NFL have probably taught him to read the room. The Chiefs’ philosophy on the pass rush worked great in 2023 when the team totaled 57 sacks. With diminishing returns have seen two seasons, I think there would be more reason for concern if the team kept the same approach.
The Chiefs were in a good position to try something different. George Karlaftis and Ashton Gillotte are dependable as base-down edge players. The team also addressed interior pass rush the night before by adding versatile defensive tackle Peter Woods.
In recent years, there has never been a better time to add a player like Thomas.
Across the NFL, the best defenses have multiple skill sets in the front seven and use matchup-dependent player rotations, making the term “starter” possibly outdated along the defensive line. I expect the stronger run game option, Gillotte, to start most contests because he may always be the better option in base defense packages. The selection of Thomas should be evaluated on whether he is on the field for key third downs in 2026.
A player Thomas is frequently compared to, Nik Bonito of the Denver Broncos, has never had a season snap count higher than 61%. Bonito also played less than 55% of Denver’s defensive snaps in four games (plus a playoff contest) last season.
Also, had Thomas been added to the Baltimore Ravens squads that Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen helped coach from 2016 to 2020, the move would have been met with leaguewide panic.
I know Chiefs fans have been burned by situations such as that of veteran Josh Uche, who never saw the field after being acquired in a 2024 midseason trade. Using a second-round pick to take Thomas is a different level of investment. Thomas will also turn 22 just before the season and may very well outlast the 66-year-old Spagnuolo in Kansas City.
We currently don’t have a DT over 310 beyond Khyiris Tonga…
The rookie Woods’ weight is going to be something to watch when the team lists official measurements in camp. At Clemson, he looked like a better player in 2024 at a listed 315 pounds than at 298 pounds in 2025. A selling point on Woods was his ability to play at multiple spots along the line.
Undrafted free agent signings are still unofficial, but the agency for former Texas defensive tackle Cole Brevard has confirmed he will be joining the Chiefs. Reportedly weighing 343 pounds, Brevard fits the category of being required to bring his own turkey to be invited to Thanksgiving.
I think the four-man defensive tackle rotation for 2026 is set as Woods, Tonga, Chris Jones, and Omarr Norman-Lott (assuming he is ready to start the season after tearing his ACL in 2025). I expect a direct one-tech backup to Tonga to be on the practice squad as a potential injury replacement. Brevard should get a chance in camp to be that person, but the Chiefs often look for defensive line help as other teams make their final roster cuts.
Why cornerback Mansoor Delane over safety Caleb Downs?
The Chiefs clearly had Delane ranked in a tier above Downs. Part of it likely has to do with the positions they play. If Delane delivers as a shutdown cornerback under rookie control through 2030, it will financially be a smarter move than adding Downs, no matter how good a safety he is.
Post-draft comments from Chiefs personnel and insider reports imply a sense of urgency to add a first-round corner after Jermod McCoy’s injury concern scared teams off. Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Chiefs were determined to either add Delane or trade up from the 29th selection to land San Diego State’s Chris Johnson.
The Chiefs also made a sizable addition at safety in free agency, adding veteran Alohi Gilman while letting both starting cornerbacks depart to the Los Angeles Rams.