Chiefs’ $20 Million Veteran Called Out: ‘Needs to Improve’
As the Kansas City Chiefs enter their Week 5 matchup with the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars at a record of 2-2, there are a few storylines that have headlined the KC news and rumors.
Can Patrick Mahomes and the offense continue to show improvement as the playmakers get healthier — and return from suspension in the case of Rashee Rice? What can Kansas City do to fix the rushing attack? Will Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive ingenuity lead the Chiefs to another deep playoff run?
Having said all that, one more under-the-radar storyline has been the lack of pass-rushing depth behind star defensive linemen Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. According to Pro Football Focus, Karlaftis leads KC with 23 quarterback pressures, which is tied for 3rd in the NFL.
Jones is second on the team with 15 QB pressures, which is tied for 24th.
Aside from those two, Spagnuolo has been forced to get creative to generate pressure, and one veteran contributor was called out in this area on October 1.
“Key player who needs to improve: [defensive end] Charles Omenihu,” The Athletic’s Jesse Newell wrote ahead of the Chiefs’ Week 5 matchup.
Kansas City has paid Omenihu a total of $20 million over his first and second contracts combined, but he hasn’t been the same player since his knee injury in January of 2024. Omenihu contributed 8.0 sacks before his torn ACL, including 1.0 integral playoff sack, and just 2.0 sacks after it (1 regular season, 1 playoff).
Needless to say, they need Omenihu to start impacting the game again, because Spagnuolo’s various blitz packages won’t work forever.
Charles Omenihu Has Not Provided the Same Impact for the Chiefs Off the Edge, but a Recent Development Provides Hope
Newell detailed Omenihu’s regression within his article.
“The defensive end put high expectations on himself this season, a year and a half removed from a torn ACL,” the KC beat reporter began. Explaining: “That’s typically when a player’s burst fully returns after surgery.”
“The Chiefs didn’t see that take place in the first three weeks,” Newell continued. “Their pass rush struggled, and Omenihu was one of Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded pass rushers as he compiled just two QB hurries in three games.”
However, there is hope for the future.
“It’s why the [Baltimore] Ravens game on Sunday was a welcome sign,” Newell noted. “Omenihu significantly improved his ‘pass rush get-off’ time — NFL Next Gen Stats lingo for how quickly a player passes the line of scrimmage — while creating significant havoc in the backfield.”
According to Newell and Next Gen Stats, Omenihu’s “get-off time” decreased from above or just under the 1.0-second mark in the first three weeks to 0.74 seconds in Week 4. This translated into the form of 4 quarterback pressures.
Omenihu still ranks low in the pressure department around the league, with just 6 total (tied for 126th). But if he can build on this recent development, perhaps he can turn things around.
“The Chiefs’ pass rush, as a whole, started slow in 2025, but better days could be ahead,” Newell expressed on October 1. “Karlaftis has put together two strong games in a row, and [Omarr] Norman-Lott — still getting to full strength from a training-camp ankle injury — should only improve from here next to All-Pro Chris Jones on the inside.”
Omenihu is one of the key pieces, however. “If Omenihu provides the type of threat he did against the Ravens… the entire unit’s outlook changes,” Newell concluded, and he’s right.
Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo Continues to Bring the Heat Using Players Like Leo Chenal on the Blitz
Per Pro Football Reference, the Chiefs and their trusty defensive coordinator, Spagnuolo, have blitzed opposing quarterbacks 32.6% of the time. This ranks 7th for the entire NFL through 4 games.
The player being blitzed the most, according to PFF, is linebacker Leo Chenal.
Chenal has rushed the quarterback on 54.7% of pass rushing snaps, accumulating 3 QB pressures. Fellow linebackers Drue Tranquill (23.1%) and Nick Bolton (20.9%) are not too far behind.
Spagnuolo has also rushed defensive backs at times, as he has been known to do in the past.
Hybrid nickel/safety Chamarri Conner leads the way, at an 8.4% rush rate, with star cornerback Trent McDuffie just behind him at 7.8%.
Mac Jones Reveals What Kyle Shanahan Was ‘Pissed’ About Before 49ers-Rams
Something had Kyle Shanahan pissed before the Rams clash.
49ers quarterback Mac Jones revealed a surprising pregame moment involving head coach Kyle Shanahan that fired up the locker room before San Francisco’s 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
According to Jones, Shanahan was irritated after learning that the odds had shifted further against the 49ers.
“Kyle came up to me and was pissed about that, saying, ‘I can’t believe they moved us as underdogs more,’” Jones explained, per Bay Area News Group reporter Cam Inman. “I said, ‘I don’t know what that means, but let’s kill them.’”
