Kansas City fielded one of the league’s very best defenses in 2023 — and three free agents have played big roles.
Despite making it as far as this season’s Divisional Round — and perhaps beyond that — the Kansas City Chiefs have still absorbed a lot of criticism for some of their offseason roster moves.
But last spring, there were three veteran free-agent signings for which general manager Brett Veach has received very little flak. All three have made significant contributions to one of the league’s very best units — one that held the Miami Dolphins offense (which ranked second in points scored and yards per play and second in offensive DVOA in 2023) to just seven points in Saturday’s 26-7 Wild Card victory on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Two of these players are Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Charles Omenihu.
“They both have played well for us — and continue to play well for us,” head coach Andy Reid said of them when he met with reporters before Wednesday’s practice session. “But obviously, with [Nick] Bolton going down, Drue stepped [into] one of the leadership positions — the transmitter from the front side to the back side — and did a great job.And then Charles? Mixing him in there with that defensive line, I think, has been a nice addition. My hat goes off to Brett for the job that he did, bringing those guys in here. His insight was spot-on.”
Since he missed the first six games of the season with an NFL suspension, there had been a certain amount of skepticism about Omenihu. What was the point of bringing in a player who would miss so much of the season? But since his return, he has been one of the defensive line’s most productive p
layers.
