A number of the Kansas City Chiefs free agents this offseason lined up along the defensive front in 2024, which means the position could potentially see some real turnover in 2025. However, the same could have been said last offseason and instead, the Chiefs chose to bring back a number of familiar faces. Will the same thing happen again?
One such candidate for a return is Derrick Nnadi, a very familiar face for Chiefs fans who is beloved for his important community work and animal advocacy off the field. On the field, he's been a stout run defender in his seven-year career with the team, although his effectiveness has waned in recent seasons.
Will the Chiefs choose to bring back Nnadi? How was he last season? How does his future look in the NFL? Let's take a closer look with our latest free agent profile.
Kansas City Chiefs free agent profile: Derrick Nnadi, defensive line
What did the Chiefs expect from Nnadi's return?
Last spring, all of the attention was on Chris Jones on the defensive line, as fans and analysts wondered if the Chiefs would re-sign him to a long-term deal. Not only did they bring back Jones for a three-peat bid, but general manager Brett Veach decided to invite Mike Pennel, Turk Wharton, and Nnadi back as well
Nnadi was given a one-year deal worth $2 million, so the expectations were fairly minimal. Largely, he's profiled for years as one of the team's designated run stuffers and the hope was that he'd continue to help Steve Spagnuolo's unit in that facet of the game as a role player and veteran leader.
How did 2024 turn out for Derrick Nnadi?
For the first time in his career, Nnadi came into a season with the Chiefs as a rotational player only. In the previous six seasons, Nnadi had started 86 games for the Chiefs, including all 17 in each of the team's championship seasons in 2022-23. However, his only start in 2024 was Week 18 against the Denver Broncos—a week where head coach Andy Reid pulled most of his starters.
Despite playing in every game for the Chiefs, Nnadi saw his playing time cut in half from the previous season—and it's not as if he's been an every-down player for the Chiefs in the first place. Last season, Nnadi played 221 snaps on defense compared with 498 the previous season, a drop from 46 percent to 20 percent. That fell below Wharton and Pennel in the pecking order. (Even Charles Omenihu played more snaps despite being injured for all but six games, for some perspective.)
Over at Pro Football Focus, Nnadi's grades have been abysmal for three seasons now (with a 40.8 grade last season overall). While there are problems with the metrics, the Chiefs are giving him less playing time as well.
Predicting Derrick Nnadi's future in free agency
Nnadi is the saving grace from Veach's first draft class with the Chiefs in 2018 (and even that is overstating it), but at least he's been effective as a run defender. With those days in the rearview mirror, it's hard to see the Chiefs making it a priority to bring him back. It makes more sense for the team to lean into Marlon Tuipolotu, who've they've kept hanging around for another year, and fresh young talent for such a defined role.
As for Nnadi's future, it's unlikely he's going to string together several more seasons in the league, but it shouldn't surprise anyone to see another team offer him a one-year deal at the veteran minimum as a rotational run-stopper with plenty of championship experience.
Prediction: Derrick Nnadi signs a 1-year deal for $1.5M with the Carolina Panthers