Andy Reid ‘Looking Forward’ to KC Chiefs Getting Charles Omenihu Back

Kansas City is excited to get an in-season boost from their offseason free agent pickup now that he's eligible to return.

The Kansas City Chiefs are back following their Week 6 win over the Denver Broncos, with a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers now taking center stage on the club's list of priorities. As prep for the weekend begins, the team is also getting some reinforcement along the defensive line.

Now that his six-game suspension has been served, Charles Omenihu is back in the Chiefs facility and is able to practice. For the first six weeks of the 2023 regular season, the 26-year-old was on the reserve/suspended list stemming from him violating the NFL's personal conduct policy earlier this calendar year. While Kansas City has yet to officially activate Omenihu from the list and bring him back to the 53-man roster for a game scenario, he's returned to the building and can be removed from the list once a corresponding roster move is made.

This is a serious positive development for Steve Spagnuolo's defense, as the trio of Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Mike Danna has carried the bulk of the team's pass-rushing production this season. Omenihu is coming off a season that saw him post 54 pressures and 10 hurries (per Pro Football Focus) in 417 opportunities, which led to him inking a two-year free agent contract with the Chiefs in March. Adding Omenihu into the fold should help quite a bit, and head coach Andy Reid said on Monday that he's excited for it to happen. 

"Listen, I think the front's done a real nice job with pressure and getting to the quarterback," Reid said. "They've done a pretty good job with the run game, likewise. You add Charles in there, who is a good football player, to the mix... I'm kind of looking forward to seeing him get in there. I don't know if he's going to be able to just step right in and play the whole game, one of those things. I think we just probably ease him back in and let him get going there [and] see how he does."

Back in August, Reid shared that he told Omenihu to "not slack off on the football part" over the course of his suspension. By all accounts, the veteran remained in good shape and is eager to join his teammates on the field. When asked about a potential plan for Omenihu this week, Reid was optimistic about him being able to make his season debut on Sunday.

"I think there's a good chance of that," Reid said. "He's been back here and he's staying in shape or is in good shape. It's just a matter of getting him back in there. He went through all of camp and worked his tail off and like I said, he's kept himself in good shape when he's [been] gone here. It's just a matter of getting back in and getting in the swing of things again." 

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