The Kansas City Chiefs are facing a massive defensive overhaul entering the 2022 season. Key defensive players such as safety Tyrann Mathieu, linebacker Anthony Hitchens, and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Down the list of important personnel rests defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi.
The former Florida State Seminole was Kansas City’s third-round selection in the 2018 draft. It took very little time for a rookie Nnadi to find his way onto the field. He played 448 defensive snaps for the Chiefs and appeared in all 16 games. As a true nose tackle in then-defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s 3-4 defense, Nnadi logged an unremarkable 35 combined tackles and no sacks. But, he did finish the year amongst the NFL’s best run defenders, earning an 81.7 run defense grade from PFF. It was a stellar start for Nnadi’s career, as he looked to be a force complimenting defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Defensive tackle Derrick Nnad is set for free agency for the first time in his career. Will the Kansas City Chiefs retain him?
If Nnadi was a baseball team, he would be the 2010-2013 San Francisco Giants. Nnadi is a player that performs great in even years but falls flat in odd years. Following up a promising 2018 season, 2019 fell flat. Nnadi joined an interior unit that was made of “useful role players”, according to PFF’s Sam Monson. That rollercoaster continued into 2020, where Nnadi was again a premier run defender but offered little in the pass-rushing game.
Nnadi showed growth from 2019 to 2020, culminating in his best statistical season in 2021. In only 10 games, Nnadi logged 38 combined tackles with three sacks and two tackles for loss. His five quarterback hits in 2021 dwarfed his previous career-high of one. 2021 was a real step forward, but advanced analytics said he was middling for the most part. It was an underwhelming performance in a contract year, for sure.
Nnadi is certainly a solid piece in Kansas City’s defense, appearing in 64 games during four seasons. His stat line is unspectacular, but will that prevent general manager Brett Veach from bringing him back?
Why bring him back?
First, there is something to be said about keeping championship-team players. Nnadi was a part of that squad and could be one of the few left if Kansas City keeps him. Team-building, especially with younger or inexperienced players, is easier with players who have seen the pinnacle. During that championship season, Nnadi started all 16 games.
Also, Nnadi has not had any major availability issues. Time lost to injuries or suspensions can dramatically reduce a player’s value on the free-agent market. Nnadi has not been affected by either, which has been a blessing for the Chiefs. A team going through many fluctuations will only be better with players who are consistently there.
Now, for tangible performances. Even when advanced analytics didn’t grade Nnadi well, he always stood out as a run defender. His ability to challenge one or two blockers and fill gaps made opportunities for Jones and members of the linebacking corps. When he wasn’t a setup player, Nnadi would take matters into his own hands, leveraging himself towards the ball.
Nnadi does a lot of the dirty work up front, but he had a career year for pass-rushing in 2021. He set career highs in sacks and pressures in 2021, blowing his previous highs out of the water. Nnadi took steps forward, evolving from just a block eater to a pass rusher. Nnadi’s improvements to his reputation only increase his free agency stock but would be immensely valuable to Kansas City.
Why let him leave?
Take the optimistic hat off. Any individual Chiefs’ defensive performance from 2021 has a major asterisk on it. There was a long stretch during the season that the defense was historically bad—like one of the worst that the NFL has ever seen. A second-half turnaround made people look past those early-season shortcomings. Nnadi is not free of that asterisk.
Continuing with 2021, this past season is a far outlier for Nnadi. He has never come close to the pass-rushing numbers in previous seasons, but that is not uncommon for an interior defensive lineman. Still, the markets for block-eating tackles and pass-rushing tackles are entirely different. One commands pedestrian, short-term deals and the other take big investments from teams. Nnadi has been the former for much of his career, but could now be considered the latter.
This plays into the probability of Nnadi being priced out of Kansas City. While he and fellow free agent Jarran Reed saw many interior snaps, neither warrant a big payday. However you want to scrutinize it, other teams will be looking to acquire Nnadi’s services. If Nnadi sees that big contract from any of the other 31 teams, why shouldn’t he take it?
Recommendation
Look, Derrick Nnadi’s a solid player. With all his ups and downs, he is still a solid player. The team could count on him to be there, as could the coaches. However, he is certainly not irreplaceable.
Nnadi holds a special spot in fans’ hearts, due to the awful 2018 draft. He is, by far, the best player out of that spectacularly awful draft class, but his rookie deal has come to an end. It is not financially responsible to keep Nnadi around by whatever means necessary. If the money works out, by all means, let it happen. However, Nnadi may have already peaked, and that is a real possibility.
If Kansas City re-signs Nnadi and he regresses to his pre-2021 pass-rushing performance, the team looks foolish. Simple as that. Nnadi’s role can be filled in a bevy of ways, including drafting a player to replace him. Interior defensive line is already a draft need. Why re-sign Nnadi and stunt another player’s development? Picturing two or three years down the road, it does not make sense.
Players like Nnadi are important to defenses. But, there are several players out there like him. Some may be better fits, or cheaper, or younger. I do not want to see Nnadi go, but this is an opportunity for new blood and new building blocks toward another championship. Nnadi has done good things in Kansas City, but it is likely time for him to cash in elsewhere.
Prediction
Nnadi signs elsewhere, at an annual price point too high for Kansas City.