Chiefs free agent grades: Charles Omenihu signing earns high marks
By Matt Conner
If Brett Veach were a student, he’d see high marks for his signing of former 49ers defensive end Charles Omenihu.
On Tuesday night, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to pull off their second major score of the offseason with the signing of San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Charles Omenihu.
Omenihu, who is still only 25, was a nice rotational pass rusher for the Niners last year who had a loaded front line. The 49ers sported one of the best defenses in the NFL last year and Omenihu was an underrated part of the success in the trenches as part of a ferocious line led by Nick Bosa.
Last season, Omenihu had 4.5 sacks but the metrics show that he had a much greater rate of success in generating pressure overall, even if a lot of those potential sacks were left unfinished. Disrupting the quarterback is the goal, not necessarily sacking him, and Omenihu will undoubtedly help the Chiefs there.
The only downside here, and perhaps the thing that kept Omenihu from making more money over a longer period of time, is a looming domestic violence allegation from January. No charges have been filed at this point, which means anything is possible at this stage—from absolutely nothing to a suspension from the league. You gotta believe the Chiefs have done their homework here, however.
For their part, Kansas City general manager Brett Veach needed to bring in more than one pass rusher this offseason knowing that the team was already lacking in that department—and that was before seeing Carlos Dunlap hit free agency. When the Chiefs decided to release Frank Clark, the need only grew, which is why Omenihu’s arrival is such a welcome turn.
While Chiefs Kingdom loves the signing, however, it’s interesting to see whether others feel the same. As free agent grades come in (yes, that’s a thing), we wanted to survey what others were saying about the signing.
Tyler Sullivan at CBS Sports gave the deal an A- grade and wrote, “Omenihu has a ton of upside and should thrive in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Playing next to Chris Jones will benefit him immensely.” Our pal Matt Verderame from Sports Illustrated gave the Chiefs a B but docked them solely for his off-the-field concerns. Meanwhile, Seth Walder from ESPN concurs with the B rating and calls Omenihu a “fine” signing given the weak free agent selection.