Andy Reid: ‘Hat Goes Off’ to Brett Veach for Savvy KC Chiefs Free Agent Pickups

Reid saluted GM Brett Veach for bringing in a trio of free agents who continue to step up as the postseason rolls on.

Coming off a Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs were tasked with doing enough in the offseason to chase a repeat performance. While the end result of those efforts isn't known yet, the week-to-week investments have done nothing but pay off on the defensive side of the ball.

With the resources made available to him, general manager Brett Veach went out and added an impact player at each primary level of the defense in free agency. Up front, Charles Omenihu was brought in to provide a pass-rushing boost. At linebacker, Drue Tranquill signed a bargain deal as depth at the position. In the secondary, safety Mike Edwards was inked to a contract to help inject playmaking into Steve Spagnuolo's defense.

Speaking to the media this week, focusing primarily on Tranquill and Omenihu, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid tipped his cap to Veach for a job well done.

“They both have played well for us and continue to play well for us, but obviously with (Nick) Bolton going down, Drue stepped into one of the leadership positions and the transmitter from the front to the back side and did a great job," Reid said. "Then with Charles, mixing him in there with that D-line I think has been a nice addition. Hat goes off to Brett for a job that he did bringing those guys in here, his insight was spot on."

He also had plenty of good things to say about Edwards. 

“He’s a heck of a football player and really, that’s what he is," Reid said. "You’re going to look at him and you’re not going to say that he’s the fastest guy, the biggest guy, strongest guy or any of that. He just knows how to play the game, he’s got great instincts, smart, smart kid. Tough.”

While none of the aforementioned players has worked a full-time role all season long, each has stepped up at near-perfect times. Since serving a six-game suspension to begin the year, Omenihu has 33 pressures and seven sacks. When Bolton went down with ankle and wrist injuries, Tranquill played an overwhelming amount of snaps and was a Swiss Army knife on defense. He had 78 tackles (seven for loss) and 4.5 sacks during the regular season. Edwards slotted into the lineup rather seamlessly when second-year man Bryan Cook suffered an ankle injury. He had two fumble recoveries and an interception during the regular season and picked off Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

If you ask defensive tackle Chris Jones, as happened on Wednesday, he'll praise Omenihu for his "versatility" along the defensive line. If you ask Spagnuolo or a teammate, Tranquill will get gloated about for his football IQ and athletic profile. Everyone in the secondary is fond of Edwards, and his ability to simply always be around the football is extremely unique for a Chiefs defensive back. Each player has his respective drawbacks, sure, but the positives are more overwhelming.

The best part for the Chiefs? All three contracts were and are entirely reasonable. Omenihu, signed to a two-year pact worth $16 million, provides flexibility both now and later. OverTheCap estimates that Tranquill has outperformed his $3M hit for 2023-24. Carrying a similar cap number, Edwards partially allowed Kansas City to move on from Juan Thornhill (who signed a three-year, $21M deal with the Cleveland Browns in the offseason).

From a total cash standpoint, the Chiefs didn't have to spend much. Omenihu is the 41st-highest-paid defensive lineman in the league and the Tranquill-Edwards duo doesn't make much relative to some of their peers around the league. Together, these savvy pickups have helped propel Spagnuolo's unit from a middle-of-the-pack group to one of the three best in the sport. Several other factors are undoubtedly at play, but Kansas City doesn't have this level of success if the free agent trio isn't brought in. Time will tell if Tranquill and/or Edwards are brought back for next season or if these signings will lead to a championship in less than a month.  Even if the end goal isn't achieved, though, Reid and company can only appreciate the quality depth that side of the ball is insulated with. 

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