{"id":817122,"date":"2026-03-17T13:32:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/817122\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:32:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:32:40","slug":"ranking-chiefs-free-agency-departures-by-how-badly-theyll-be-missed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/817122\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking Chiefs\u2019 free-agency departures by how badly they\u2019ll be missed"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this golden age of Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> football, any departures from the franchise are likely to leave a legacy in the franchise\u2019s history, big or small.<\/p>\n

This offseason, eight of the Chiefs\u2019 unrestricted free agents have found new homes to continue their NFL careers. Seven of the eight players won a Super Bowl in Kansas City, taking the championship experience with them and leaving the Chiefs to find the next difference-making role players for their spots.<\/p>\n

The team has officially said farewell to the following players, ranked by how badly each will be missed by the Chiefs moving forward. All counts of vacated snaps are from the 2025 regular season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Cornerback Jaylen Watson<\/p>\n

New team: Los Angeles Rams<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 868 on defense (96% of unit snaps)<\/p>\n

From Watson\u2019s first-career start in Week 2 of 2022 \u2014 a game that featured him returning an interception 99 yards for a score<\/a> to help secure victory over the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> \u2014 he has constantly been a reliable option to man the boundary, even before becoming a full-time starter during the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

He provided stability and high-floor performance at the position that stood out the most whenever he was sidelined with injury over the last two years. Watson will be difficult to replace, considering how uniquely consistent he was at one of football\u2019s most volatile positions.<\/p>\n

Legacy play: A one-handed interception to help close out the Chiefs\u2019 Divisional round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> during his rookie season (2022).<\/p>\n

New team: Washington Commanders<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 441 defensive snaps (42% of possible snaps) and 227 snaps for special teams<\/p>\n

Chenal may have been the third linebacker on the depth chart, narrowed into a role that didn\u2019t require even a 50% snap rate, but he was a difference maker. On early downs, Chenal could defend the run from any position in the front seven \u2014 even along the interior of the defensive line.<\/p>\n

His elite play-strength allowed the Chiefs to be more unpredictable in run-defense strategy than defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo typically is; it was a big factor in the top-10 run defense of 2025 and previous years.<\/p>\n

His unique skill set is what puts him so high on this list. He is arguably the hardest player to replace in terms of how he was utilized, but the linebacker position is still in good hands with starters Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, who took a pay cut last week<\/a> to seemingly stick around for 2026.<\/p>\n

Legacy play: Blocking the Denver Broncos<\/a>\u2019 game-winning field goal attempt to remain undefeated \u2014 advancing to 9-0 \u2014 during the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

New team: Cincinnati Bengals<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 858 defensive snaps (83% of possible snaps) and 65 snaps for special teams<\/p>\n

While Cook developed into a key member of the Chiefs\u2019 defense by his fourth and final season with the team, he is a player the coaching staff and front office should feel confident in replacing.<\/p>\n

He was the team\u2019s primary free safety in 2025, finishing one defended pass shy (6) of the team lead. He was a sure tackler, but overall, the skills he brought to Kansas City are simpler to find through free agency, like veteran safety Alohi Gilman and his over-the-top skills \u2014 or the draft, where this year\u2019s safety class is littered with sure tacklers.<\/p>\n

Legacy play: Tipping up a fourth-quarter pass by Bengals\u2019 quarterback Joe Burrow that allowed cornerback Joshua Williams to make a significant interception in the AFC Championship victory during his rookie year.<\/p>\n

4. Defensive end Charles Omenihu<\/p>\n

New team: Washington Commanders<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 568 snaps (55% of possible defensive snaps)<\/p>\n

The team needed to make way for a youth movement along the defensive line, but Omenihu\u2019s ideal length and alignment versatility made him a decent-sized cog in Spagnuolo\u2019s machine. Look for a draft pick or lowkey signing to fit Omenihu\u2019s skillset.<\/p>\n

Legacy play: The strip sack of Baltimore Ravens<\/a>\u2019 quarterback Lamar Jackson during the AFC Championship win in the 2023 season.<\/p>\n

5. Running back Isiah Pacheco<\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 424 snaps (38% of possible offensive snaps)<\/p>\n

Unfortunately to him, Pacheco represents the team\u2019s lack of investment in the backfield since he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He is a spark-providing runner that feels better suited as a change of pace to Lions\u2019 running back Jahmyr Gibbs.<\/p>\n

Legacy play: The 39-yard run \u2014 still the longest of his playoff career \u2014 against the Jaguars during his rookie season that lifted an offense temporarily led by backup quarterback Chad Henne.<\/p>\n

6. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi<\/p>\n

New team: Indianapolis Colts<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 308 defensive snaps (38% of possible snaps) and 64 snaps on special teams<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time Nnadi has signed elsewhere in his NFL career: the New York Jets<\/a> originally signed him last offseason before a preseason trade landed him back in Kansas City. The soon-to-be 30-year old has been a reliable part of the nose-tackle rotation, but the team should feel good in replacing Nnadi\u2019s impact with free-agent signing Khyiris Tonga.<\/p>\n

Legacy play: Aside from being a constant presence in the middle of the Chiefs\u2019 run defense during the first two Super Bowl runs, Nnadi might have left his biggest mark on Kansas City\u2019s dog community.<\/p>\n

7. Cornerback Joshua Williams<\/p>\n

New team: Tennessee Titans<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 17 defensive snaps and 256 snaps on special teams<\/p>\n

Williams went from inconsistent cornerback to inconsistent special-teams player, leading to the departure. He shares a Legacy play with Cook, finishing off the game-changing turnover initiated by his teammate to seal a trip to Super Bowl LVII.<\/p>\n

8. Quarterback Gardner Minshew<\/p>\n

New team: Arizona Cardinals<\/a><\/p>\n

Vacated snaps: 41 on offense<\/p>\n

With very limited chance to do so, Minshew did not prove to be a significant option to fill in for the injured Mahomes; he threw a game-ending \u2014 and season-ending \u2014 interception within minutes of replacing him in Week 15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this golden age of Kansas City Chiefs football, any departures from the franchise are likely to leave…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":817123,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,2439,9623,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-817122","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs-free-agency","10":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs-history","11":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116244774745766923","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=817122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/817123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=817122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=817122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=817122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}