KC Chiefs Re-Sign DT Derrick Nnadi, Per Agents
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a quiet free agency period everywhere except for one position. The Chiefs brought back yet another one of their own from the interior defensive line, re-signing defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, according to SportsTrust Adviors, his agency. Matt Verderame of SI tweeted that it's a one-year deal for Nnadi.
Nnadi, a three-time Super Bowl champion during his six seasons with the Chiefs, is now slated to return for his seventh after being a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Nnadi played in all 17 regular season games for the Chiefs in 2023-24 before suffering an injury (originally listed as an elbow, later referred to as a tricep injury by the team) in KC's Wild Card round game against the Miami Dolphins on January 13. He did not return for the Chiefs' remaining playoff games and was later placed on Injured Reserve. On January 19, Nnadi posted an Instagram Story of his bandaged and braced left arm with the captions, "Everything happens for a reason" and "God's work."
In October, Arrowhead Report's Zack Eisen wrote about how Nnadi had been an unsung contributor to KC's defensive success.
Nnadi has had his bounce-back campaign while being the only actual nose tackle active every game day. Spagnuolo and the rest of the Chiefs' coaches put a lot on his plate to not only play well but also play most of the early-down snaps. That’s not typical for the nose tackle position, but Nnadi has accepted the challenge and succeeded in his role thus far. While the Chiefs have invested in other nose tackles, they believe in Nnadi’s ability to go out there and perform consistently. They will need him to continue to play at this level throughout the season as the defense looks to get even better moving forward.
Nnadi joins defensive tackles Chris Jones, Mike Pennel and Tershawn Wharton as free agent (or pending free agent) interior defensive linemen returning to KC from 2023 to 2024.
