Chiefs DL Charles Omenihu Suspended for Violating Personal Conduct Policy
As the Kansas City Chiefs continue preparing for the 2023 NFL regular season, they now know they'll eventually have to start the year without one of their more promising players on the defensive side.
According to multiple Friday afternoon reports and confirmed by Nate Taylor of The Athletic, defensive end Charles Omenihu is being suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Omenihu is eligible to participate in all practices and games through the preseason.
As Taylor notes, Omenihu's suspension will be lifted the day after the Chiefs' October 12 home game against the Denver Broncos. This is the second season in a row in which a Chiefs player will miss time due to a personal conduct policy violation, as linebacker Willie Gay Jr. had to sit out Weeks 3-6 of the 2022 regular season stemming from his own suspension.
If Omenihu's current suspension holds, he will miss the Chiefs' games against the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings and the aforementioned Broncos matchup.
Omenihu was arrested back in January due to an allegation of misdemeanor domestic violence and in March, Joshua Brisco of Arrowhead Report captured some of the details from ABC7 News in San Francisco:
Officials say a woman called to report that her boyfriend, Omenihu, pushed her to the ground during an argument. She complained about pain to her arm, police say, but there were no visible injuries and she declined medical treatment at the time of the investigation.
Officers contacted Omenihu at the scene. He gave a statement and was cooperative with officers.
He was then arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence and he was served with a restraining order by investigating officers. It was not deemed a felony arrest.
This is a substantial loss for the Chiefs, as Omenihu was projected to assume a starting role along Steve Spagnuolo's defensive line. The former Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers standout is coming off perhaps the most productive season of his career, as he totaled 20 tackles (three for loss), 16 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks in 17 games while playing just 54% of the 49ers' available defensive snaps. Additionally, he logged 39 quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus and also posted a 75.3 pass-rush grade from the site. His ability to play from multiple pre-snap alignments was also a massive plus.
Without Omenihu to start the year, Kansas City's defensive end room will rely on second-year George Karlaftis and veteran Mike Danna. 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who was expected to be brought along rather slowly, may be thrown into the fire a bit earlier than expected. Elsewhere, defensive tackle Chris Jones will be counted on to produce in a major way assuming he ends his still-active holdout by Week 1.
