Report: Chiefs Were Interested in Potential Emmanuel Ogbah Reunion

Ogbah is returning to Miami, but not after his former team reportedly expressed interest in acquiring his services.

Jan 13, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws under pressure from Miami Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (91) during the first half of the 2024 AFC wild card game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

At this stage of the NFL offseason, teams' rosters are mostly set and notable veteran free agents have typically decided on where to play for the upcoming season. Despite that, the Kansas City Chiefs were recently linked to someone they're quite familiar with.

Fresh off the market, defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is returning to the Miami Dolphins for the 2024-25 campaign. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, however, the 30-year-old drew interest from multiple clubs. Kansas City was reportedly one of them.

Those in Chiefs circles will remember Ogbah for his time with the franchise in 2019. Appearing in 10 regular-season games, he recorded 32 tackles (six for loss) with 11 quarterback hits. His 5.5 sacks ranked third on the team, trailing only Chris Jones and Frank Clark. Unfortunately for Ogbah, he suffered a pectoral injury in November and that season was cut short as he went on injured reserve. He never played another snap for the Chiefs, and they went on to win Super Bowl LIV.

Since leaving Kansas City, Ogbah has turned in some of his best seasons. In 2020 and 2021, he had consecutive nine-sack efforts and logged 17 combined passes broken up. The 2022 season saw him play in only nine games, although he returned to form a bit last year and racked up 5.5 sacks in 15 contests. Against the Chiefs in Miami's Wild Card round loss of the playoffs, Ogbah played 38 snaps on defense and another nine on special teams. He had four tackles versus his old team.

What the Chiefs' rumored interest in Emmanuel Ogbah could mean

As training camp rolls on, Kansas City's defensive end group is in an interesting spot. At the top, George Karlaftis posted double-digit sacks in his sophomore campaign and is the leader of the room. Mike Danna is a reliable running mate, but his ceiling is lower than most. Charles Omenihu is the natural high-octane complement to both players, however he's on the physically unable to perform list as of now and could miss multiple regular-season contests. BJ Thompson sits on the non-football injury list.

Malik Herring is a nice role player who is occasionally miscast in a more increased role depending on the situation. The true X-factor of the unit is 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who failed to justify his draft slot as a rookie. With that said, was that an opportunity problem or a matter of talent? This is the reality Kansas City must navigate figuring out in 2024.

In our positional preview for defensive ends on Chiefs on SI, Joshua Brisco recently analyzed whether the Chiefs' current group is enough to get the job done.

"Re-signing Mike Danna on a reasonable multi-year deal made total sense, and he's set to start opposite George Karlaftis while Charles Omenihu returns from a torn ACL. When Omenihu is back on the field, I like the Karlaftis-Omenihu-Danna trio as a solid rotation, at least knowing they're bookending Chris Jones in the middle. Ultimately, the Chiefs' best pass-rush front includes all three, alongside Jones, with either Danna or Omenihu rushing from the interior. Before we get down the depth chart, is KC's clear-cut top-three good enough, especially if they're without Omenihu early in the year?"

The reported interest in Ogbah could signal one of two things. On one hand, being in on a potential key rotation piece at the position this late isn't a great sign. On the other, not making the move and not pushing hard enough could indicate that the Chiefs were merely doing their due diligence. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as Matt Lane of KC Sports Network pointed out on X.

➕ Good vibes about FAU’s development and Omenihu’s return timeline leaves few snaps when factoring in Danna and Herring. Ogbah goes to more snaps in a more recent setting.

➖ Chiefs were poking around a starting/high end rotational DE around the start of camp for a reason/s. https://t.co/0ftwUFIuj2

— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) July 23, 2024

The Chiefs will keep trucking along with what they have, for better or worse. At the least, the reported interest adds more intrigue.

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