Former Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl champion edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah was notified of his release from the Miami Dolphins on February 23.
That spurred a “random idea” from Arrowhead Addict editor Matt Conner.
Random idea: Sign Manny Ogbah as situational pass rusher. Had 5.5 sacks in 17 games in ’23 as SPR for Miami. He’s ideal size, knows the system, and was just released. Perfect for depth/security for Chiefs in face of FA exits and Omenihu’s injury but won’t get in way of youth.
“Sign Manny Ogbah as situational pass rusher,” Conner urged. “[He] had 5.5 sacks in 17 games in ‘23 as [a situational pass rusher] for Miami. He’s ideal size, knows the system, and was just released.”
The KC analyst concluded that Ogbah would be “perfect for depth/security for [the] Chiefs in face of [free agency] exits and [Charles] Omenihu’s injury but won’t get in way of youth.”
Examining Emmanuel Ogbah as Free Agent Option for Chiefs
Kansas City has a severe lack of depth on the defensive line heading into free agency, so they do need to either sign or retain a few players this spring. As of February 25, the Chiefs have the following defensive linemen under contract:
- Omenihu (likely injured to start 2024 season).
- George Karlaftis III (starting DE).
- Felix Anudike-Uzomah (rotational DE).
- Neil Farrell (rotational DT).
- Matt Dickerson (rotational DL).
- BJ Thompson (depth DE).
- Truman Jones (depth DE).
- Isaiah Buggs (depth DT).
Obviously, that doesn’t include Chris Jones or any other impending free agents that could return, but it feels like a veteran addition like Ogbah could at least be useful early on.
Now, looking at Ogbah’s efficiency as a pass rusher in recent years, is he worth a one-year reunion?
Entering his age-31 campaign in 2024, Ogbah’s usage has been cut by more than 50% over his past two seasons with Miami. He had a 10.3% pass rush win-rate in 2021, leading the Dolphins in quarterback pressures and batted passes with 61 and 11.
In 2022, his pass rush win-rate dropped to 8.0% with just 15 QB pressures and zero batted passes. Those totals occurred over 43.1% of the snap share.
Fast-forward to 2023, Ogbah’s win-rate went back up to 10.2%, which was comparable to his efficiency in 2021 when he led the Dolphins in pressures. His PRP — a PFF formula that “combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer” — was actually better this past season despite his snap share decreasing by almost 67% from 2021.
In other words, Ogbah is still productive when it comes to his bread and butter. The area he really struggled with in 2023 was containment.
Playing limited snaps last year, Ogbah’s missed tackle rate surged to a career-high 27.8%. His career average in this department is 12.4%.
Having said that, Conner specifically suggested using Ogbah as a situational pass rusher. If deployed properly in a part-time role, the former Chief could likely still make an impact in Steve Spagnuolo’s system.
Ex-Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy Is Joining UCLA in 2024
In other news, former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is leaving the NFL ahead of the 2024 season according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
Former Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is finalizing a two-year deal to join UCLA’s staff as its Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, sources tell ESPN’s @PeteThamel and me.
“Former [Washington] Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is finalizing a two-year deal to join UCLA’s staff as its Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, sources tell ESPN’s @PeteThamel and me,” Schefter reported on February 24.
Later, Associated Press reporter Rob Maaddi revealed that “Eric Bieniemy’s only NFL offers were to be a RBs coach or a pass-game coordinator, [which] would’ve been a step back for an offensive coordinator with 2 Super Bowl rings.”
Based on this report, the Chiefs must have been unwilling to offer Bieniemy his former coordinator role on the staff now that Matt Nagy has taken over his station — which is fair. Yes, Nagy’s offense struggled greatly during stretches of the 2023 campaign but in the end, they won a championship.
Demoting any personnel member after a Super Bowl win would be unheard of, to say the least — even if Bieniemy’s offense was more productive.
Comments
Chiefs Pushed to Reunite With 2019 Super Bowl Champ After News of Release