We're into October and the Kansas City Chiefs are 2-3 on the young season. It's not a great situation to be in but it certainly could be worse. That being said, one player who, unsurprisingly, hasn't lived up to the bill so far this season is Derrick Nnadi, who has been struggling big time in 2025.
Nnadi and the Chiefs go way back with the team spending a third-round pick on him in the 2018 NFL Draft. Nnadi started his career off on a good note, but by his fourth pro season, it was clear that he had hit a wall and the production was starting to go downhill.
By 2024, he had a lackluster overall PFF grade of 35.8 and when he signed with the Jets in the offseason, it felt like the Nnadi era in Kansas City had mercifully come to an end. Well, not so fast. The Chiefs, for whatever reason, decided to trade for Nnadi when they didn't need to (he was probably going to get cut by the Jets anyway) AND to make matters even more worse, they cut Mike Pennel in order to make room for Nnadi.
Derrick Nnadi has not looked good for the Chiefs in 2025
For those wondering if things could get worse for Nnadi in 2025, the answer is a resounding yes. Yes, it can. His overall grade on PFF through five games and 101 snaps is a putrid 30.1 with a 33.7 run defense grade. That's awful!
The Chiefs had seemingly parted ways with Nnadi due to his poor performances over the past few years but then, for whatever reason, they brought him back. And guess what? The guy has not played well. Brett Veach typically deserves the benefit of the doubt but it's hard to know what the heck he was thinking with this move.
Meanwhile, Pennel, who joined the Bengals after the Chiefs cut him, has played 105 snaps in Cincinnati and has a 62.1 PFF grade. K.C. clearly made the wrong decision here and the defense has suffered as a result.
Hopefully Veach plans to add help to the defensive interior before the trade deadline. Otherwise, not only is a Super Bowl probably not going to happen for this group but winning the AFC West for a 10th consecutive season is potentially not in the cards either.