The Kansas City Chiefs pass rush could use someone to step forward

Tamba Hali

Earlier this offseason, Hali showed how hungry he was for more snaps with a Twitter outburst he later apologized for. No matter what you think of an athlete expressing his emotions on social media, the positive spin is that one of the Chiefs all-time pass rushing leaders was anxious to prove he’s still got plenty in the tank. When a veteran sounds like a determined rookie wanting to make his presence felt, that’s a motivated player.

Instead, Hali has been forced to miss the first half of the season on the Physically Unable to Play list and on Wednesday, things got even weirder. After missing the first eight weeks, Adam Schefter and Terez Paylor both confirmed with sources that Hali was back at practice. Somehow the fog had lifted, Hali’s knee was well and the Chiefs were going to have a second half reinforcement in the form of a player with 89.5 career sacks. Then suddenly it wasn’t true.

Andy Reid explained to the media that even he has no idea what’s coming for Hali and that he’s letting general manager Brett Veach and Hali’s agent(s) handle all of this. It’s an interesting move from Reid to say, “I’ve got nothing to do with this.” Maybe it’s true or maybe it’s not. Maybe Hali is healthy and maybe he’s not. Maybe he wasn’t and now maybe he is. If you’re as confused as we sound, welcome to the club.

Here’s what we do know: the Chiefs need someone besides Andy Studebaker or Mike Vrabel rushing the passer and Hali is the one man who could step right in and not miss a beat since he knows the defense inside and out. Unfortunately, we can’t even get a straight answer as to whether or not he’s on the roster.