KC Chiefs and Drue Tranquill Both Thriving After ‘Whirlwind’ Year

What started with a text from head coach Andy Reid has since turned into one of the most valuable acquisitions of the Chiefs' last year.

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense is entirely the sum of its multiple key parts, with mastermind defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo leading the way. Linebacker Drue Tranquill, despite still being in his first year with the team, has been a significant part of that equation.

With the Kansas City defense helping lift the team to Super Bowl LVIII, Tranquill has a chance to get the ring he sought after coming into the year. Head coach Andy Reid called his shot back in the spring, telling Tranquill to "see Red and think Super Bowls." 

See Red and think Super Bowls 😉 pic.twitter.com/cdL7InAI4e

— Drue Tranquill (@DTranquill) January 30, 2024

It's a simple message — one Reid has echoed in some ways to prospective free agents in the past (JuJu Smith-Schuster comes to mind). Reid, speaking to the media on Thursday, explained how critical it was to land Tranquill as a signing. 

"(General manager) Brett Veach does the hard stuff," Reid said. "He gives them to me and asks me to reach out to the guys, but we knew him. Drue we knew firsthand because of how good he was with the Chargers, and he's done all of that here. He's developed a great relationship and rapport with the linebackers in that room and with Steve and Brendan (Daly). They've all worked — and Drue had to want this — to get him up to par with the defense. Thank goodness he's a really smart guy. He put that Notre Dame education to use in learning this whole thing, and did it quickly." 

Tranquill was initially brought in as more of a complementary depth piece than anything else. His one-year, $3 million contract reflects that. With starter Nick Bolton missing a chunk of games due to various injuries this season, however, Tranquill was thrust into the lineup frequently. He played in 16 games during the regular season, logging 577 snaps in the middle of Spagnuolo's defense.

Those reps included six games with at least 95% of snaps played. With Bolton back in the fold, Tranquill's workload hasn't been quite as demanding in the postseason. On the other hand, he still hovered around the 70% mark in the Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game. He's likely gotten a bit more than he bargained for when he signed his contract, but so have the Chiefs. It's one of the best developments of the team's 2023-24 season, and Tranquill couldn't be more excited.

"It's been a whirlwind," Tranquill said. "You know, you dream of this as a kid. You want to play in this game. This is the pinnacle of the football world — the biggest game in the biggest league in the world. To look back on that text from Coach Reid, it's something to laugh about, but it's crazy. It's been a long eight months, or I guess 10 months, since that moment but we've put a lot of hard work in and we're super excited for this opportunity." 

Just a couple of weeks ago, Reid tipped his cap to Veach for bringing in high-end and high-value bargain talents in free agency. Charles Omenihu up front, Tranquill in the linebacker room and Mike Edwards in the secondary have all filled nice roles on defense and helped offset injuries, keep others fresh and give Spagnuolo his ideal defense. While Omenihu is out for Super Bowl LVIII with a torn ACL, the other two will continue to play important parts on the field. 

Tranquill, in particular, seems to be growing more and more diverse by the week. He's happy to do whatever the team asks of him, as the ultimate goal is the same for both player and franchise. 

"I think it speaks to this organization and the quest that they're on," Tranquill said. "Bringing in good players, whether it's through the draft or free agency, and Brett Veach is one of the best at doing that. Charles, Mike and myself and all of our other free agent acquisitions, and guys like Mike Pennel who we've brought on mid-season, and drafted guys... I think everybody's kind of bought into the championship culture here and what Coach Reid sets forth and what they preach on a week-to-week basis. You just try to come in, develop a role for yourself and do the best you can. At the end of the day, everything is about winning and they emphasize that week after week, meeting after meeting. Whether your role is big or small or medium, you feel valuable and important when you're here."

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