It has been rare for BYU to produce quality interior defensive linemen in recent years, but Khyiris Tonga has carved out a solid four-year NFL career. He was originally a 2021 seventh-round pick by the Chicago Bears where he played one season. That was followed by two years with the Minnesota Vikings then last year with the Arizona Cardinals.
Through four NFL seasons Tonga has appeared in 53 games with seven starts, amassing 89 tackles, three tackles for loss, half a sack, and a fumble recovery. As he enters free agency this year he’s coming off a quietly productive season with 22 tackles in just 229 defensive snaps with the Cardinals, which is excellent per-snap production for an interior defensive lineman. His solid play led to Pro Football Focus ranking him No. 83 of 219 interior defensive linemen, meaning he's not a Pro Bowler, but he can more than hold his own in the trenches.
While Khyiris isn’t among the top tier free agent defensive tackles, he can provide quality depth and eat blocks for the right team. Here are the three top landing spots for the former BYU star when free agency begins on March 12th:
Kansas City Chiefs
Defensive tackle is perhaps the Chiefs top need to address this offseason, and we all know coach Andy Reid has a soft spot for former BYU players. From a practical standpoint, Kansas City only has three interior defensive linemen on the roster right now.
Veteran Chris Jones is outstanding, but the other two players on the roster - Siaki Ika and Fabien Lovett - have yet to record a single tackle in the NFL. Throw in the fact that the Chiefs only have $405,000 in available cap space, and they're going to need to find affordable veterans to bolster the defensive line.
The Chiefs are perpetually competing for Super Bowls and will likely err on the side of plug-and-play veterans to fill many of their roster gaps, and that’s exactly what Khyiris Tonga can provide. Tonga would likely sign for a relatively small salary cap number, making him an ideal fit with the Chiefs.
Los Angeles Chargers
Coach Jim Harbaugh wants to maximize quarterback Justin Herbert’s prime, and there’s a constant urgency to win in Los Angeles. The Chargers currently have four defensive tackles under contract in 2025 - Otito Ogbonnia, Justin Eboigbe, Christopher Hinton, and Chris Collins. While Ogbonnia had a solid 2024 campaign, Eboigbe had two tackles while Hinton and Collins had zero.
While Khyiris Tonga wouldn’t fix all of the issues across the Chargers front four, he could be a very solid depth piece for a team with playoff ambitions.
Buffalo Bills
Speaking of Super Bowl contenders who need to address the defensive tackle position, let’s talk about the Buffalo Bills. Veteran Ed Oliver is coming off a 14-game season with 29 tackles and three sacks and is solid in the middle, but the depth falls off from there. 33-year-old veteran DaQuan Jones has a $9.4 million cap hit and is the most likely salary cap casualty currently on the roster.
Most of the depth behind Oliver and Jones is unproven, and an experienced guy like Tonga could help fill that void.