Denver Broncos v New Orleans Saints | Cooper Neill/GettyImages

NFL free agency is just around the corner, which means plenty of current and former members of the Kansas City Chiefs will be hitting the open market.

As the Chiefs look to reload for another championship run, they will undoubtedly add some new faces to the locker room who will join the organization’s attempts to add onto their present dynasty. That said, the Chiefs have always appreciated the known quantity more than most teams, which is why we could see some former players making their way back.

Not every homecoming is a welcome one. There’s a reason the Chiefs let some players go over the years. However, for the right price, there are a few defenders in free agency who might merit a welcome back to Arrowhead.

1. Willie Gay Jr., Linebacker

Willie Gay Jr. spent four seasons with the Chiefs defense under Steve Spagnuolo’s leadership before signing with the New Orleans Saints last year. The linebacking corps is largely the same from his days with the team, and while K.C. has bigger fish to fry, a, team-friendly deal for a single season could make sense here.

With Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal stepping up in 2024, adding Gay back into the mix would give the Chiefs an experienced linebacker to make this an incredibly deep unit with even greater experience than ever. Given that Gay signed a modest deal a year ago and played less snaps than ever with the Saints in 2024, a return could come at a surprisingly low cost.

2. Charvarius Ward, Cornerback

The Chiefs’ secondary has remained one of their biggest strengths in recent seasons (thanks to pillars like L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie), but adding a proven corner like Charvarius Ward could curb any concerns in case of emergency.

Ward left Kansas City in free agency to sign with the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 and has since developed into one of the league’s most reliable cover corners. While he played well for the majority of his tenure in the Bay Area, he’s also admitted that it’s traumatic to think about returning there (the family tragically lost a child during his stint in SF), so it’s safe to say he’s headed to his third NFL team if he doesn’t reunite with the Chiefs.

Last year, the Chiefs experienced some significant defensive bumps when Jaylen Watson went down with an extended injury. Bringing in a vet like Ward would stave off injury concerns for another deep postseason run.

3. Tanoh Kpassagnon, Defensive End

The Chiefs need more teeth along the defensive front and Veach is likely to make multiple moves here. However, if the team wanted to add a rotational rusher at a decent price, Kpassagnon is a known figure who could slide ride back into play in K.C.

After spending the past few seasons with the Saints, Kpassagnon is likely going to be headed for a low-cost, single-season deal with some team. He missed every game but three last season due to a torn Achilles, so any deal will be a prove-it version on the open market. He was decently productive as a role player for Dennis Allen’s defense with 21 pressures and 5.5 sacks in his previous two years with New Orleans while playing one-third of available snaps.

Kpassagnon’s length was always enticing to the Chiefs and a veteran flyer to compete for a rotational role makes sense as the team tries to stack up as many players in the trenches as they can.