Kansas City’s defensive line has been impacted by free agency with the loss of rotational player Saunders and the addition of Omenihu.
The Chiefs’ defensive line is going to have significant changes by the time the season rolls around. Frank Clark was released due to cap saving measures. The Chiefs attempted to fill the open roster spot with Omenihu who is coming off a career year. The Saints picked Saunders who was also coming off one of his best years.
Omenihu is signing a two-year 16 million dollar deal with Kansas City as reported by Adam Schefter.
Omenihu is 25 years old and has played on two different teams. He was drafted by Houston with a fifth-round pick in 2019. He played two and half seasons with the Texans and was then traded to the 49ers. With San Francisco, he played in multiple positions. He had snaps at defensive tackle and defensive end. Kansas City has shown they value players that play multiple positions. The Chiefs moved players all across the lie to give them the best advantage possible when rushing the quarterback.
He has been a significant role piece for both players. Over his four year career, he has only started in 10 games despite only missing six games over his career. Last season he got 4.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits. All of these numbers are highs for his career.
Omenihu is an explosive athlete with a pretty good punch off the edge. He does not have a ton of pass rush moves but should contribute as a solid rotational piece for Kansas City. He could be seen as the replacement for Frank Clark.
His signing does come with some controversy. Omenihu missed the NFC Championship against the Eagles due to a possible domestic violence charge. There have been no charges filed against Omenihu.
With the way the NFL handles the domestic violence issues, Chiefs fans should expect at least some sort of suspicion to impact how quickly he sees the field as a Chief.
The Chiefs lost Saunders to the Saints hours before the league year opened on Wednesday. Saunders was drafted by Kansas City. He signed a three year deal that he can earn up to 14.5 million dollars.
Saunders is an athletic freak. He’s six feet 324 pounds. Despite his size he could run down quarterbacks and even do a backflip. He was a rotational piece for Kansas City and based on his deal he could be a rotational player for the Saints.
Losing Saudners means the Chiefs will need to sign another veteran or take a defensive lineman with a first-round pick or a top day two pick. Kansas City still has a chance to lose guys like Carlos Dunlap, and Derrick Nnadi who have not been signed. Technically, Clark has not signed with another team and could still return to Kansas City.
