The Kansas City Chiefs added some youth to their edge rushing group by drafting R Mason Thomas this offseason, but could have the chance to bring back a steady veteran who briefly joined an AFC rival.
Mike Danna signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason after six seasons with the Chiefs, but hit the open market early after the team parted ways with him. One NFL writer suggested the Chiefs could look for a reunion, adding a veteran presence to their edge-rushing group.
NFL Writer Predicts Mike Danna Reunion for the Chiefs
In his final prediction of the team’s 53-man roster, AtoZ Sports writer Charles Goldman suggested the Chiefs are set in their edge-rushing group, with George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the top and Ashton Gillotte, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Thomas providing depth.
But he also suggested the Chiefs could look for some upgrades in the group, naming Danna as a strong potential option.
“The Chiefs should use the waiver wire for upgrades,” Goldman wrote. “Knowing their preference toward players they’re familiar with, Danna makes all the sense in the world. If Gillotte winds up missing time or Ogbah just doesn’t hack it, for instance. Danna has had a solid preseason in Buffalo with five pressures, including two sacks.”
Danna came to the Chiefs as a fifth-round pick in 2020, appearing in 87 games with 49 starts. He made 194 total tackles with 21.5 sacks during that time.
Danna had signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Bills this offseason, but failed to stand out in the team’s deep edge-rushing group.
Buffalo Rumblings reporter Sean Murphy noted that, despite a guaranteed contract, Danna had an uphill battle to make the final roster in Buffalo.
“In short, while Danna’s contract might say that he’s a shoo-in for the roster, his positional group and his fit in Buffalo’s defense tell me he’s more of a bubble player than anything else,” Murphy wrote. “Barring injury, I don’t anticipate that he’ll be on the roster once the season starts, but a strong preseason combined with some other players suffering some dings could change that outlook.”
Chiefs Rookie Looks Strong in Final Preseason Game
Thomas had a good final audition for the Chiefs in the team’s final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. He registered a strip sack of quarterback Jalen Milroe, generating some buzz and suggestions he could play a bigger role in the team’s defensive line rotation.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Thomas would be a good fit, though he would likely start out behind the team’s veterans.
“Yeah, I think they’re all going to compete in there,” Spagnuolo said. “Listen, R Mason has done some really good things, but he’s in the rookie process. Ashton’s in the second year, and he looks like a guy that’s made some steps in the second year. It’s not all new to him like it was a year ago.
“And then Felix [Anudike-Uzomah], getting Felix back has been pretty important, especially with the fact that Ethan [Downs] got dinged. In my mind, Felix made one really good play today in the run game, and let’s hope he can do that, get over the injury issues and be a factor for us.”
Chiefs Predicted to Steal Veteran Edge Rusher Back From AFC Rival