Re-Signing Derrick Nnadi Is an Underrated Move by the Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs' offseason has seen a notable amount of shuffling thus far. In addition to losing some defensive starters to the free agent market and adding a new wideout, there have also been some re-signings that the team can hang its hat on. Some players may not move the needle a ton if they depart, whereas others are clear net losses. Regardless of where they fall on a team's list of priorities, their impact cannot be questioned.
Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi is one of those players.
Feb 2, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Derrick Nnadi (91) reacts on the field against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
For a quality player, Nnadi's stats are rather unassuming. Over the course of his rookie contract, the 2018 third-round pick massed 168 tackles (five for loss) in 64 games. He's also recorded four sacks, a forced fumble, a pass broken up and an interception. While those statistical contributions are solid, they don't paint the picture of a player who is a must-retain during a pivotal offseason for a franchise. After all, the Chiefs and general manager Brett Veach could've picked up a random interior defensive lineman to make some tackles and get a sack or two, right?
Not so fast.
Despite dealing with a hip injury during the season and seeing his snap percentage dwindle down to its lowest point since 2018, Nnadi remained effective. During the 2021 offseason, the Chiefs signed defensive tackle Jarran Reed to a one-year deal in an effort to boost the team's pass rush on the interior. The plan didn't end up working to perfection, though, as Reed failed to make a consistent impact and ended the year with just two-and-a-half sacks. In a completely unexpected development, Nnadi actually had a half-sack more than him. In addition to serving as a good zig to Reed's zag up front, Nnadi made his presence known and pushed pockets of his own. With that said, he continued to make his money as a primary run-stuffer.
Standing at 6'1" and weighing in at 317 pounds, Nnadi is a force on the inside. He's a difficult player to move and because he consistently keeps his pad level low and combines that with plus overall strength, he's more than capable of anchoring down a gap on defense. When All-Pro Chris Jones is being double-teamed due to his immense impact as a pass-rusher, Nnadi continues to take up space and plays the run extremely well. He's one of the better pure nose tackles in all of football, and he's still only 25 years old.
While Nnadi is a clear positive as a run-stopping tackle, the Chiefs as a whole have been poor at slowing down opposing rushing attacks as a whole during his time with the team. Their ranks on a yards-allowed-per-carry basis over the past four seasons have been 31st (2021), 19th (2020), 29th (2019) and 31st (2018).
There's some noise there, such as rushing quarterbacks doing damage and reps where someone like Nnadi may not be on the field, but the premise remains intact. Although they've had a player who specializes in playing good run defense, Kansas City hasn't been able to stop the run. Should that disincentivize them from having Nnadi on the team? Of course not. If anything, it makes re-signing him that much bigger of a deal.
Nnadi is far from a perfect player. At his core, he's a base package nose tackle who comes off the field on obvious passing downs in favor of a player who offers more of an ability to rush the passer. On the other hand, he just turned in his best season as a pass-rusher, knows the defense, is still young and has a very specific skill set that helps prevent defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's interior defensive line from being the football form of Swiss cheese. (Or, at least, that skill set helps make it less terrible).
There's value in that, even if it doesn't make him anything more than a good role player. A plentiful crop of good role players can be found on any championship-winning team, and Nnadi returning to Kansas City for another year is smart. It's an underrated signing, which is a perfect encapsulation of Nnadi's career as a Chief to this point.
