The Kansas City Chiefs‘ defensive line depth has been a well-known concern this season. Even star Chris Jones hasn’t had his usual dominant impact, and the rotational players haven’t provided consistent production. So, when news broke that the Jacksonville Jaguars released a familiar face, Jones wasted absolutely no time putting out the call to his and Patrick Mahomes’ former teammate.

“Gotta get my brother back… Hopefully, he’s one of those guys that we can get back in the system,” he said.

While it wasn’t an outright demand, Jones was surely looking forward to a possible reunion. Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders isn’t just a familiar face. He’s won two Super Bowls with Jones and the Chiefs between 2019 and 2022.

Saunders was originally a third-round pick by the Chiefs in 2019 out of Western Illinois. He spent four years with the team, contributing to three AFC Championship teams and those two Super Bowl wins. During that time, he posted solid numbers for a rotational piece, amassing over 81 tackles.

The 29-year-old defensive tackle initially left Kansas City in 2023, signing a three-year, $12.3 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. This year, the Saints traded him to the Jaguars in August to serve as depth, but he only appeared in two games for Jacksonville, recording three total tackles.

Now, as a veteran set to hit waivers with less than four years of experience, Saunders could immediately offer the Chiefs the kind of experienced, familiar reserve presence they desperately need on the interior defensive line. 

Khalen Saunders gets released by the Jaguars

Teams often make trades when players are struggling on the field or dealing with injuries, but such wasn’t the case for Khalen Saunders. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ release of Saunders was rather a hard organizational decision about the depth chart and roster fit.

The Jaguars’ defense has struggled with steadier pass-rush production, according to Coach Liam Coen. He tried to solve the problem by trading for Saunders in the offseason. But the move simply didn’t work out as planned. Coen addressed the dip in performance recently.

“That’s something we definitely need to talk about as a staff and as a group,” Liam Coen admitted after a recent loss. “That hasn’t been good enough all season and wasn’t good enough [Sunday].”

Saunders quickly found himself on the outside of Jacksonville’s crowded defensive line rotation. Since the trade, Saunders was mostly a healthy scratch, meaning he was perfectly able to play but didn’t dress for the game because there was no roster spot for him.

Saunders appeared in just two games for the Jaguars this season and was a healthy inactive for the other seven. With limited snaps and minimal impact on the defensive line, Jacksonville decided to release him, effectively ending the experiment and opening a roster spot.

While Saunders’ time in Jacksonville ended abruptly, he could reunite with the team that knows him best. Kansas City now has the option to bolster its defensive line as the team prepares for its upcoming Week 11 matchup against the Denver Broncos.