Derrick Nnadi walks in latest Chiefs NFL free agency news
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Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost another veteran free agent on the evening of March 11, as long-time nose tackle Derrick Nnadi agreed to sign with the Indianapolis Colts. This news came just after defensive ends Charles Omenihu and Malik Herring left for new opportunities.
NFL insider Ari Meirov was the first to report the Nnadi news on X, relaying: “The Colts have signed former Chiefs DT Derrick Nnadi, per his agents @_SportsTrust.”
Nnadi has left Kansas City before. Last offseason, the run-stuffer defensive lineman took a $1.423 million contract from the New York Jets, but the Chiefs ended up trading for him before the season began.
That’s right. Nnadi spent the spring and summer with the Jets before being flipped back to KC for a late-round pick swap just before the 53-man roster cutdown. The move continued Nnadi’s streak of only suiting up for the Chiefs throughout his career.
A former third-round pick in 2018, Nnadi has appeared in 148 total outings for Kansas City, including the playoffs. He has technically started 110 of those appearances.
Nnadi isn’t the type to fill up the stat sheet. He’s a space-clogger at his core, and his job is to jam up the gut of the opposing offensive line on run defense.
Now, Nnadi will attempt to serve in a similar role with the Colts.
Ex-Chiefs DT Derrick Nnadi Is a 3-Time Super Bowl Champion
Former Chiefs DT Derrick Nnadi is signing with the Colts in latest NFL free agency news
GettyFormer Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi.
Nnadi has always been a sort of controversial staff favorite of head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Fans and analysts often questioned why he was on the roster year after year. And yet, Reid and Spagnuolo kept finding ways to keep him on the 53.
The most obvious example of that was the Jets trade last summer, which brought Nnadi back to Kansas City.
Nnadi is a three-time Super Bowl champion, so the nose tackle’s KC tenure was extremely successful despite his warts as a player.
Below were his regular season and postseason contributions for the Chiefs.
249 total tackles in the regular season, 38 over 18 playoff outings.
5.0 total sacks in the regular season, 1.0 career playoff sack.
7 regular season tackles for a loss, 3 in the playoffs.
9 regular season QB hits, 3 in the playoffs.
1 regular season interception and 1 regular season forced fumble.
2 regular season pass deflections.
It remains to be seen if this is the end of Nnadi’s eight-year tenure in Kansas City.