Chiefs agree to terms with defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga: reports
Tonga joins his sixth NFL team since entering the league in 2021
Kansas City on Monday added to the interior of the defensive line during the NFL’s open-negotiations period.
The Chiefs agreed to terms with former New England Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga on a three-year, $21 million deal with $14 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.
The NFL Network first reported the news.
Tonga’s contract is scheduled to become official when the NFL’s new calendar year begins on March 11.
While not a household name, the 6-foot-2, 323-pound Tonga brings experience to the Chiefs’ defense.
He originally entered the NFL in 2021 out of BYU as a seventh-round pick with the Chicago Bears and has spent time with the Atlanta Falcons (2022 practice squad), Minnesota Vikings (2022-23), Arizona Cardinals (2024) and Patriots (2025).
Tonga, who turns 30 on July 7, has appeared in 67 career games with 15 starts, which includes a career-high eight starts with the Patriots last season.
He’s totaled 113 career tackles (46 solo), including five for a loss, and has .5 sacks with six quarterback hits.
How the Chiefs intend to use Tonga on defense remains to be seen.
But he’s regarded as run stuffer, so he could project as a rotational player within defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme.
Tonga’s arrival comes at a time when recent rotational defensive tackles Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday.
Defensive tackles Chris Jones and Omarr Norman-Lott project as the starters.
OTHER NOTABLE MOVES
The Chiefs agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, who appeared to confirm the transaction in a social media post, which was quote-tweeted by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Tight end Travis Kelce is expected to return for a 14th season with the Chiefs, according to multiple reports.
The Chiefs over the weekend brought back veteran long snapper James Winchester on a one-year deal, a source confirmed with KC Sports Network.
Not sure what is intended by the "rotational player" label, but unless he regresses I expect Khyiris Tonga to play upwards of 45% of snaps and I don't believe ONL, particularly coming off an ACL repair, can press Tonga for the DT2 spot in 2026.
Among DTs from 2022-2025 Tonga has been 75th percentile in run stop rate and 84th percentile in true pass set pass rush win rate. The latter is huge for a DT who mostly aligns in the A gap, something nobody expected of Tonga when he first entered the league. Stops play, wins pay.
As is typical for DTs, Tonga's missed tackle rate is the slowest developmental element, going from 20.0% -> 15.6% -> 12.5% -> 9.1%. If he can maintain 9.1% (good), or even improve further, he should be a fantastic addition with the exact body type 6'2"/325 the Chiefs sought plus good burst and speed.
Absent regression, Tonga is a likely DT2 ahead of ONL, and I'm a big believer in ONL.