The Kansas City Chiefs could lose several free agents in 2025, as general manager Brett Veach works with tighter cap restrictions than usual — both short- and long-term.

During an article on March 2, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed that KC defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton has been a more under-the-radar UFA who is “getting buzz” around the league.

Per Fowler, Wharton is among the players that “might do better than you’d think in free agency.” And Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer seemed to agree with that assessment while relaying his combine chatter on March 3.

“I also see Kansas City Chiefs DT Tershawn Wharton, Los Angeles Chargers WR Josh Palmer and Minnesota Vikings S Cam Bynum as guys that have been good, reliable players, and have some upside,” Breer wrote, labeling Wharton a potential free agency “value” addition.

Needless to say, this is all bad news for the Chiefs’ chances of re-signing Wharton, who Fowler noted is “in position to become the third interior rusher off the board behind [Osa] Odighizuwa and [Milton] Williams.”

Wharton is a two-time Super Bowl champion and five-year contributor that first joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Aside from the 2022 campaign, which was largely lost to injury after Wharton tore his ACL five games in, the defensive tackle has been incredibly durable throughout his NFL career.

In each of his other four seasons, Wharton did not miss a single game during the regular season or the playoffs. He even battled his way back in time for Week 1 in 2023, following the knee injury.

It’s not just durability that’s made Wharton an unsung hero for Kansas City though.

As a rotational pass rusher, Wharton consistently finished with 2.0 sacks most seasons before exploding in 2024. The soon-to-be 27-year-old finished with 6.5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss and 11 quarterback hits this year, which is unfortunately one of the reasons KC will likely lose him in free agency.

He was also credited with a career-high 42 QB pressures and 24 key defensive “stops” according to Pro Football Focus. But he was pretty steady in these areas over the years, even if the sacks weren’t always there.

Wharton’s greatest deficiency is probably his missed tackles in run defense. He was charged with 5 in 2024, with 8 missed tackles total, but any team pursuing the interior defender will likely understand that he’s a pass rush specialist at heart.

That’s how Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo utilized Wharton over his time in KC, rotating him with run cloggers like Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel.

It’ll be interesting to see where Wharton ends up in 2025, but the expectation is that Kansas City will be too tied up financially at other positions to pay the former UDFA the deserving salary that he’s earned.

By all accounts, the 2025 NFL Draft is strongest and deepest in two areas, running back and defensive line — especially interior DL. For that reason, Veach should go with the flow and find Wharton’s replacement in the draft.

It doesn’t have to be a first-round pick, but there should be plenty of D-tackle candidates that fit the mold of a rotational pass rusher at the late April main event.

In the mid- to late-rounds, some potential pass rushing DT names might include T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, Omarr Norman-Lott, CJ West, Tonka Hemingway, Alfred Collins, Jordan Phillips, Joshua Farmer and Bryson Eason, among others.