Nnadi ended the 2025 season with 16 tackles, including 10 solo tackles, over 15 games.

Nnadi signed a one-year contract with the Jets, but he ended up being traded back to the Chiefs before the start of the regular season for a conditional 2027 draft-pick swap. Finding himself back in familiar circumstances, the defensive tackle was able to log five more tackles (seven more solo tackles) than in the 2024 regular season. The 29-year-old was able to prove he can still be an effective run defender at this stage of his career, and he will surely be an attractive target for any team looking for a cost-effective lineman familiar with 4-3 defenses.

Tillery finished the 2025 season with 20 tackles (eight solo), including 1.5 sacks, and added a fumble recovery over 17 games.

Tillery was a reliable depth defensive tackle, playing 17 percent to 52 percent of defensive snaps per game throughout the entire 2025 season. The 29-year-old has been a Charger, Raider, Viking, and Chief throughout his tenure in the NFL, and 2026 could mark a return to one of those franchises or a new destination entirely for the lineman heading into his ninth season.

Danna ended the 2025 season with 25 tackles (eight solo), including 1.0 sacks, and added one interception over 15 games.

Danna ended up playing in two more games than in the 2024 regular season, yet he ended with 2.5 fewer sacks and 16 fewer tackles. This is likely because Danna was playing more snaps in 2024, as the 2025 Chiefs defense saw more rotational play from rookie Ashton Gillotte. If Danna cannot increase his impact in 2026, he may lose the starting role to Gillotte and be forced to take a more secondary role in the Chiefs' defense.

Omenihu finished the 2025 season with 28 tackles (15 solo), including 3.5 sacks, over 17 games.

Omenihu signed a one-year deal to stay in Kansas City, a decision that resulted in an increase in production that will be useful in him negotiating his next contract. As a rotational defensive end behind starters George Karlaftis and Mike Danna, he logged 2.0 more sacks than in the 2024 regular season and 22 more tackles. He did so while playing the same number of games as he had in the past two regular seasons combined, proving that the 28-year-old still has the durability to survive an NFL season. Omenihu will enter the 2026 season as a free agent, and it is unclear if he will seek another contract with Kansas City or if he will take his talents elsewhere.

Gillotte ended the 2025 season with 38 tackles (14 solo), including 1.5 sacks, as well as one interception over 17 games.

Gillotte saw defensive snaps in every game of the season, logging 25 percent or more of the team's defensive snaps in all contests except the Week 1 matchup with the Chargers. The third-round rookie will likely see a similar amount of snaps and opportunities in Year 2, as starting defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will both remain with the Chiefs for the foreseeable future.

Hicks saw snaps at strong safety and slot cornerback as he worked to amass 42 tackles (29 solo), including 0.5 sacks, and four passes defensed over 17 regular-season games in 2025.

Hicks saw an uptick in defensive snaps during his sophomore campaign, jumping from 312 as a rookie in the 2024 regular season to 445 in the 2025 season. While the defensive back was utilized as a Swiss Army knife in multiple areas of the secondary, he maintained his role as a special-teams contributor throughout the season as well. Hicks will head into his third year with a shot to take over at slot cornerback full time if the Chiefs do not sign or move someone to replace Mike Edwards, whose one-year deal is up.

Newsome appeared in 17 regular-season games between the Browns (five games) and Jaguars (12 games) in 2025 and accumulated 52 tackles (41 solo) and nine pass defenses (one interception).

Newsome started the season with Cleveland before being traded to the Jaguars in early October. He played a key role in both teams' defenses, and despite dealing with shoulder, hamstring and ankle injuries throughout the season, he ended the 2025 campaign with a career high in total tackles. Newsome enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and should attract offers from teams looking to upgrade their secondary.

Williams ended the 2025 season with 48 tackles (30 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and seven passes defensed over 17 games.

Williams was a consistent special-teams contributor who earned a shot at being a full-time defensive starter toward the end of the campaign. The cornerback ended the season strong with 23 of his 48 total tackles coming in the last five games, along with his sole sack and four of his passes defensed. The third-round rookie has the potential to be a consistent starting cornerback for the Chiefs, as Jaylen Watson (groin) and Mike Edwards are on expiring deals.

Hamilton recorded 38 tackles (15 solo), including 1.0 sacks, across 17 regular-season games with the Jaguars in 2025.

Hamilton was coming off a productive 2024 campaign in which he logged 62 total tackles over 17 regular-season games. He saw his tackling numbers dip significantly in 2025, which was in part due to a noticeable decrease in defensive snaps. Hamilton enters 2026 in the final year of his three-year, $34.5 million contract extension that he signed with Jacksonville in April of 2023.

Walker posted 38 tackles (19 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and two pass defenses across 14 regular-season games in 2025 with the Jaguars.

The Jaguars exercised Walker's fifth-year option in April after he logged double-digit sacks in both 2023 and 2024. However, the fourth-year pro came nowhere close to that level of production in 2025, though that decreased production can be partially attributed to him dealing with wrist and knee injuries throughout the season. The 2026 season is the last year of Walker's contract, and it's possible that Jacksonville lets the 2022 first-rounder play out his rookie deal rather than offer an extension.