Charles Omenihu Feeling Grateful After Season Debut With KC Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense had a tale of two halves in Sunday afternoon's big win over the Los Angeles Chargers, ultimately stepping up down the stretch. Several players contributed to the victory, with the return of Charles Omenihu leading to quite the impact.
Omenihu, who was suspended for the first six games of the season due to a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy, got taken off the reserve/suspended list during the week and came back to practice. Head coach Andy Reid remained consistently optimistic about the possibility of him playing, which ended up paying off on Sunday. The offseason free agent signing logged 32 defensive snaps — 51% of those available — and was a force to be reckoned with along the defensive line.
According to Omenihu, being away from games for six weeks was the hardest thing he's ever had to do. It was something new to him, and he's glad to be able to put it in the past now and be back doing what he loves.
“Not being out there with the guys," Omenihu said. "In my career, I’ve only missed maybe two games. When I first got to the league, I was inactive for Week 1, and I may have missed one other game. I haven’t ever really missed games before in my life. Missing those six games, the season gets going and you just want to be a part of it, especially coming in and trying to be a piece of a puzzle that’s already been put together. It was eating at me. Thank God I’m back and was able to help the team win and win a divisional game.”
Omenihu, amped up for his 2023 debut, said he woke up at 6:15 a.m. on game day despite the contest not kicking off until 3:25 in the afternoon. The 26-year-old was terrific even while on a pitch count on Sunday, recording a sack of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Additionally, he logged a tackle for loss, another quarterback hit and a tipped pass that ended up being intercepted by cornerback L'Jarius Sneed in the third quarter. Providing some inside-outside versatility as a pass rusher, Omenihu was unleashed exactly how many expected him to be.
With Omenihu now in the fold, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Joe Cullen will have another flexible piece to work with on that side of the ball. Kansas City's defense has been one of the league's very best this season, ranking high in success rate, EPA per play, points allowed (both per game and per drive) and multiple other measurements. That was the case without Omenihu on the field or in the building, and he said following Week 7's game that he simply wanted to pile on top of what was already a fantastic foundation before his debut.
“We looked like guys who were swarming, guys who run to the ball, guys who are attacking the ball," Omenihu said. "You’ve got guys who can rush. Mike (Danna) is having a hell of a year, along with George (Karlaftis), Chris (Jones) and Derrick (Nnadi) were plugging up the middle. Felix (Anudike-Uzomah), Turk (Tershawn Wharton) and Malik (Herring) were turning it up. Just watching those guys work and perform, I just wanted to come in and add to it.”
It's been a long road for Omenihu. The suspension stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident undoubtedly left him in a dark place, challenging him and forcing him to reflect. His coaching staff and teammates supported him through the suspension, with linebacker Willie Gay Jr. being one of the more prominent pillars of that support group. Omenihu stayed in good shape and hit the ground running in his first game of the year, making up for lost time and making a statement in the process.
The aforementioned sack on Herbert, specifically, was a huge moment for Omenihu. It marked him officially being back on the field and back to his normal form, and it also served as a critical play during the game. His workload should increase in weeks to come, but this was a good start for the veteran pass-rush specialist. When asked on Sunday evening what his thoughts were following the sack, he referred to it as perhaps the happiest moment he's ever had in the NFL. That's one heck of a way to make a return.
“Thank God," Omenihu said. "It’s only God, truly. It was a surreal feeling. Working with Chris [Jones], I felt him getting up the field and wrapped him. The first quarterback hit was close. I could feel like it was going to be one of those type of games where you’re going to be active. Getting the sack was probably the happiest moment of my career, honestly, and doing it with a new team, in a home game, a big game. I kept asking around the building saying, ‘This Chargers game is a big one, huh?’ So, I just kept that in mind.”
