Saints to Sign Former Chiefs DE Tanoh Kpassagnon

New Orleans poaches an important defensive contributor off two-time AFC champion Kansas City.

According to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero, the New Orleans Saints are completing a two-year contract with former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon on Monday morning.

According to Nick Underhill, Kpassagnon's contract is worth a total of $4.5 million dollars, with $2 million guaranteed and two voidable seasons.  He will add talent and experience to a New Orleans edge position that has perennial Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Marcus Davenport, and Noah Spence. The Saints lost DE Trey Hendrickson in free agency this offseason.

Oct 19, 2020; Orchard Park, New York; Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen (17) stands in the pocket while being pressured by Chiefs defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (92). Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY

The 26-Yr old Kpassagnon was selected with the 59th overall selection (2nd round) in the 2017 draft out of Villanova. A raw but athletic prospect coming out of college, he picked up two sacks and 3 tackles for loss as a rookie despite playing sparingly. He was slowed by injuries that caused him to miss three games in 2018, but by 2019 had developed into a part-time starter.

Kpassagnon recorded a career-high 4 sacks, 8 QB knockdowns, 16 pressures, and 6 tackles for loss for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in 2019, adding 2 more sacks in the playoffs. He started a career-high 15 contests in 2020, recording a sack and six QB pressures.

Sep 20, 2020; Inglewood, California; Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass against Chiefs defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (92). Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

His playing time has increased as he's developed his game.  He played in over 60% of Kansas City's defensive snaps over the last two seasons, with a career-high 67% in 2020.  Kpassagnon has missed only three games over his four-year career.  He has 30 career starts, including playoffs, with 29 of those over the last two years.

Kpassagnon is an impressive physical specimen at 6’7” 289-Lbs. He has great strength at the point of attack and has improved his leverage with experience. Kpassagnon has terrific athleticism for a player his size. His underrated pass rush skills along with improved run defense strengthens the New Orleans depth along the edge, along with giving them a proven starter with championship experience.