The Kansas City Chiefs knew that, after winning Super Bowl 57, they were going to have to make some tough decisions in free agency this offseason. One such tough move involved the team moving on from Frank Clark, who was released earlier this month in order to clear up cap space. Clark played a big role on the Chiefs d-line, but they simply couldn't afford him moving forward.
Despite that, Kansas City did decide that they could afford to re-sign Derrick Nnadi, who played on the d-line along with Clark for the past four seasons. Nnadi has turned into a strong interior lineman for the Chiefs, and despite the fact that the Chiefs recently lost Clark, fans were pumped to see Nnadi re-sign in free agency.
Welcome back @DerrickNnadi š„ pic.twitter.com/Ptoi74T9m7
ā The Kingdom (@MahomeSZN) March 21, 2023
Derrick Nnadi backš«”š«” pic.twitter.com/mRY99tIzTt
ā Braiden Turner (@bturner23) March 21, 2023
The #Chiefs have re-signed DT Derrick Nnadi, who was a huge piece to the Chiefs defensive line last year. Now back for his 6th year in Kansas City
ā Chiefs Core (@ChiefsCore) March 21, 2023
Good to see Derrick Nnadi back with the Chiefs. Solid piece, he is a good fit in the defense. @ChiefsFocus #chiefskingdom
ā Quentin Morris (@QuentincMorris) March 21, 2023
Let's go! Glad to have @DerrickNnadi back. Great player and even better person. https://t.co/4pyCmjW4sC
ā DJ Jazzy Juris Doctor 2.0 (@ChiefsfanCHI23) March 21, 2023
Derrick Nnadi is back! https://t.co/AjkN1n9IKe
ā The Reid Option (@ReidOptionKC) March 21, 2023
Derrick Nnadi was the 2nd draft pick Brett Veach took as Chiefs GM. He has grown into a very solid rotational DL piece over the last 5 seasons. This is only a positive signing. https://t.co/qbT5Okh4qs
ā š£šā¼ļø (@LanceTHESPOKEN) March 21, 2023
Nnadi has turned himself into a very solid interior run defender for the Chiefs, starting all 17 games for them in 2022. Nnadi's stats won't jump off the page (25 tackles, one TFL) but his ability to draw the attention of multiple folks on the opposing offensive line makes everyone else's job on the Chiefs defensive line easier. Nnadi excels at doing the dirty work that typically goes unnoticed.
Losing Clark, who earned three Pro Bowl selections in his four seasons with the Chiefs, will certainly hurt, but fans of the pretigious franchise are looking forward, not backward after this Nnadi signing. Somebody is going to have to replace Clark, but right now, it seems like fans are just happy that Nnadi won't need to be replaced too. You can't re-sign everyone, and at the end of the day, keeping Nnadi around is a pretty big win for the Chiefs.