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The Kansas City Chiefs have locked up a former draft pick and part of the interior defensive line.
Kansas City re-signed defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, according to his agency, SportsTrust advisors.
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As a third-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2018 NFL Draft, Nnadi has played a total of 64 games during his NFL career and started in 52 of those games. He has accumulated 79 tackles, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, and four sacks during that timeframe. Last season, Nnadi played in every game during the regular season and playoffs, recording 21 tackles, five quarterbacks hits, three sacks, and two tackles for loss, per Pro Football Reference.
It is unknown at this time how much money Nnadi will earn from his one-year deal with the Chiefs.
Chiefs Shoring Up Defensive Line
Nnadi becomes the second player along Kansas City’s defensive line that has been retained this offseason. While defensive end Frank Clark wasn’t a free agent this year, there was chatter that the Chiefs might cut ties with him due to his $26.3 million cap hit in 2022. However, Kansas City took care of that so they could keep Clark around while freeing up some spending money.
The three-time Pro Bowl defender and the Chiefs agreed to a restructured contract, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Clark’s re-worked deal is for two years and $29 million, with a maximum payout of $36 million, per Rapoport.
If Kansas City wanted to cut Clark pre-June 1 on his previous contract, the team would have taken on $13.6 million in dead money. However, restructuring Clark’s deal means his cap hit is lowered to $13.7 million, freeing up $12.6 million in cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. So, the Chiefs retain a Pro Bowl-level talent at a price that was just a bit more than it would have cost them to cut him.
With Nnadi back in the fold, Kansas City’s depth chart at defensive tackle includes Nnadi, Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton, Darius Stills, Lorenzo Neal Jr., and Cortez Broughton. Although keeping Nnadi around is great for the interior defensive line, the Chiefs could use some outside help to bolster that unit. Last season, Kansas City ranked 31st in the NFL in yards per carry (4.8), per NFL.com, which points to a lack of dominance in the trenches.
Twitter Reacts to KC Re-Signing Nnadi
Twitter users reacted to the Chiefs re-signing Nnadi.
“I love the Derrick Nnadi resign. Adds more depth at DT, great run stuffer, and what he does for the community here is amazing. Glad to have you back @DerrickNnadi!” one Twitter user wrote.
“I absolutely guarantee you Willie Gay & Nick Bolton are happy Derrick Nnadi is back,” another user wrote.
“The #Chiefs re-signing of @DerrickNnadi is not just a good football move – he has been a major positive influence in Kansas City with his pet adoption work through @kcpetproject and with the Boys and Girls Clubs @HelpKCKids,” another user wrote.
“I can see New #Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen help develop NT Derrick Nnadi. He might become our version of Michael Pierce. Cullen developed Pierce in Baltimore. Just like Pierce, Nnadi is unmovable in the run game and flashed dominance as a pass rusher,” another user wrote.
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