Defensive end responds to speculation of potential cut from Chiefs

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Kansas City’s defensive game was crucial for the team to take the Super Bowl to overtime and win their second consecutive ring.

But some notable injuries have stripped Kansas City Chiefs players of the chance to be in the Super Bowl and help secure the title.

Everything suggests that next season all of the players will be 100 per cent healthy and available to fight for the three-peat.

KC has retained their top defensive stars and should still be able to count on the rookies who will get to know the brilliant mind behind this unit: Steve Spagnuolo, the team’s defensive coordinator.

The latest to extend his contract with the franchise was defensive end Mike Danna on a three-year deal. But there’s still one player who’s digging out a little space to stay with the Chiefs for a few more years.

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The defensive end who tore his ACL in the pre-Super Bowl game

Charles Omenihu tore his ACL during the Chiefs’ 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. Until that moment, he didn’t think the injury would be season-ending, but unfortunately he couldn’t play in the final against the San Francisco 49ers.

Before that, he had already picked up a six-game suspension at the start of the campaign for violating the Personal Conduct Policy.

Following the ACL tear, the defensive end underwent surgery and is still in the process of recovering, while he yearns for a new contract.

Omenihu’s contract expires at the end of 2024 – his base-salary is $6.74 million and has a cap hit of $10.97 million.

For now, it’s likely that the Chiefs won’t make any kind of move to extend him because they’ll want to see where he stands once he returns to practice.

Omenihu is physically recovering, but his mindset is ready

At the beginning of the month, the DE made an appearance on the Up & Adams show and opened his heart about the rehabilitation process.

“It’s definitely tested my patience. I’m six weeks out. I started walking last week, so that was a happy moment. The rehab process is super repetitive until you get to the next stage, but like, it’s so much time from being able to do one thing to the next thing. It is mentally taxing because it’s repetitive.”

Omenihu was frustrated at not being able to play in the SB after having the best season of his career in a short period of time: “It wasn’t a good feeling. I wanted to be out there so bad, especially with it being my former team. I felt like it was my opportunity to show like, ‘Oh. you guys didn’t want to pay me. You let me go.’”

He may not be 100 per cent recovered to take to the field, but his mentality is in the right place – focused on winning and securing his contract extension along the way.

The 26-year-old responded with mockery to a tweet that referred to him possibly being waived by the Chiefs: “You must be bored.”

https://twitter.com/charless_94/status/1778252093138104617?s=46&t=Ui65wIyWInOJs0WzMrYAtQ

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Now in the final stages of recovery, he hopes to be back in training in seven weeks’ time. He has even been recording his rehabilitation journey and posting it on his YouTube channel.

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