Following the first few days of the free agency period, the market has begun to thin out with several of the top players signing new deals. The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the more active teams looking to add players to the mix over this offseason.

In the process, Kansas City has moved on from a few cornerstone players on the defensive side of the ball. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Chiefs have expressed in fourth-year defensive tackle Xavier Williams, who is a restricted free agent for the Arizona Cardinals.

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The 26-year-old has spent his first three years in the league with the Cardinals after going unselected in the 2015 NFL Draft. During that span, he has played in 23 games where he made two starts with 22 total tackles with 0.5 sacks and a forced fumble. In the 2017 campaign, Williams recorded 16 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a forced fumbled in 11 games with one start.

The Cardinals had tagged Wiliams with an “original round” tender on him earlier this offseason. However, if Arizona chooses not to match a contract offer that the Chiefs or another team they would not receive any compensation for him due to him not being drafted. The tender will require the team to play under a $1.9 million base salary for the 2018 season. His addition would help provide some much-needed stability to the defensive line to help make up the void left by the departure of former Pro Bowl defensive end/outside linebacker Tamba Hali.

The Chiefs have undergone much change to their defense this offseason that has seen many staples of their defenses depart with cornerback Marcus Peters, safety Ron Parker, and linebacker Derrick Johnson. This has left some major holes to fill on that side of the ball over the offseason. The team should likely continue to look to improve their defense through free agency, the trade market, or the upcoming draft.