Khyiris Tonga

Kansas City Chiefs

Pos IDL

Updated October 8, 2026

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Model Score

70.1 MODEL

2021

66.2

2022

69.2

2023

67.3

2024

64.8

2025

67.0

2026

70.1

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Five career tier 8 STTM finishes across five NFL seasons puts Tonga in the structural rotational depth band. The BYU Independent 7th-round origin plus the multi-team experience across four teams gives him basic plug-in nose tackle veteran value. The 2026 question is whether Tonga holds an active-roster spot or whether the role compresses to practice-squad rotation.

Tonga came out of BYU as the Chicago Bears' 7th-round pick (250th overall) in 2021 and has bounced through the Bears, Vikings, Cardinals, and now Patriots across five NFL seasons. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#91) in 2021, tier 8 (#65) in 2022 with Minnesota, tier 8 (#64) in 2023, tier 8 (#111) in 2024 with Arizona, and tier 8 (#75) in 2025 with New England.

Strengths

Five years of NFL survival as a 7th-round pick across four teams gives him the rare journeyman nose tackle résumé.
BYU Independent pedigree plus the multi-team experience gives him basic plug-in veteran depth value.

Concerns

Five career tier 8 STTM finishes confirms the structural ceiling has never climbed above rotational depth.
Patriots' broader defensive identity transition compresses the structural support around Tonga's late-career role.

What to watch: Whether Tonga holds an active-roster spot for the full 2026 season or whether the role compresses to practice-squad rotation.