So many terms are thrown around way too loosely in sports these days. Terms like generational talent and GOAT have really been used so much that they just water down players who are actually generational talents or the actual greatest of all time. Another term that gets thrown around pretty loosely is superstar and it’s very subjective, to say the least. With that in mind, I’m going to tell you that the Kansas City Chiefs landed the secret superstar of NFL free agency, and it’s just not even fair anymore.
The Chiefs already boast one of the best overall rosters in the NFL. Even after losing a bunch of key players in NFL free agency, does anyone really think the Chiefs are going to take a big step back in 2023? Not likely. We fell into that trap last year, thinking the loss of Tyreek Hill was going to significantly decrease the Chiefs’ offensive efficiency, and they were the best offense in football.
No more underestimating the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs land free agency’s true gem: Charles Omenihu
One player not many people were talking about coming into NFL free agency was former Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Charles Omenihu. Omenihu played two-plus years in Houston before getting traded to the 49ers, and under defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, he took a massive leap forward as a player.
In 2022, Omenihu racked up a career-best 4.5 sacks, a number that isn’t staggering to the naked eye, but when you look deeper at his numbers and effectiveness on a per-snap basis, it’s clear the Chiefs bought low on a player who is blossoming into a star defender at the NFL level.
Charles Omenihu 2022 key stats
- 4.5 sacks (career-high)
- 16 QB hits (tied for career-high)
- 21 QB pressures (tied for career-high)
- Played 54% of 49ers defensive snaps
The last stat on that list is really the key. Omenihu put forth 16 QB hits and 21 total pressures along with 4.5 sacks while barely playing half of the defensive snaps for the 49ers. It’s not a guarantee that he would be able to keep up his level of production by increasing his snap count to 70 percent, but it’s certainly worth exploring the possibility given how efficient and effective he was at getting pressure on the QB with limited snaps.
The Kansas City Chiefs obviously decided to cut Frank Clark in the 2023 offseason. They’re moving on from Clark and bringing in Omenihu, and based on their names at this point, people might look at that as a downgrade. But the thing about Omenihu that you may not have noticed when reading those statistics is that his 16 QB hits and 21 QB pressures were both tied for his career-best.
What does that mean? Why is that significant?
It means that he’s repeated that high level of production, a sign that he can grow from there and get even better. A lot of guys in the NFL do something great for a year. Not many players put up those numbers multiple times on their rookie contracts. Omenihu is a rare blend of length and quickness at the defensive end position.
Likely due to some off-field concerns, the Chiefs managed to get Omenihu for two years, $16 million in total money with $8.5 million in guarantees. This is a player who has freaky, 36-inch arms and who is really only at the beginning stages of showing what he’s capable of as an every-down player. Even if the Kansas City Chiefs plan to put him on the field for 60-65 percent of their snaps this season, I could see people looking back at Omenihu as the steal of NFL Free Agency in 2023.