Charles Omenihu's suspension comes at ideal time in Chiefs' 2023 schedule
Kansas City Chiefs DL Charles Omenihu will officially sit out the first six weeks of the 2023 NFL season due to a violation of the league's personal conduct policy.If Omenihu had to get suspended for any stretch of games, the first six weeks feel like the ideal stretch of the schedule. The Chiefs are playing a […]
Kansas City Chiefs DL Charles Omenihu will officially sit out the first six weeks of the 2023 NFL season due to a violation of the league's personal conduct policy.
If Omenihu had to get suspended for any stretch of games, the first six weeks feel like the ideal stretch of the schedule. The Chiefs are playing a first-place schedule in 2023, as they have in the past several seasons. As a result, they've got a ton of top NFL competition on deck from the moment they step on the gridiron. Seven of the Chiefs' opponents in 2023 are playoff teams and a total of eight regular season games will be played against those opponents.
Thankfully, only two of the games in those first six come against playoff teams. That's Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville and Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota. In the final 11 games of the season, they'll face six playoff opponents.
In terms of the offensive line talent the Chiefs will face in those first six weeks, they'd undoubtedly rather have Charles Omenihu in the fold. The first game of the season against the Detroit Lions will be a huge test for the Kansas City defensive line as they have one of the young and ascendant offensive lines in the NFL.
That group features LT Taylor Decker, LG Jonah Jackson, C Frank Ragnow, RG Hal Vatai and RT Penei Sewell. Pro Football Focus ranked them as the fifth-best offensive line in the NFL in their offseason rankings back in June.
Beyond that, no offensive line the Chiefs will face ranks within the top 10 of PFF's rankings. The Jaguars' groups seem to have worsened with the loss of Jawaan Taylor and the suspension of Cam Robinson.
The New York Jets have some questions at the tackle position with an aging starter in Duane Brown and the inconsistent play of former first-round pick Mekhi Becton.
The Vikings are returning all five starters, but they seem to be weaker in the offensive interior, which could benefit the Chiefs.
The Denver Broncos could be much improved with the additions of LG Ben Powers and RT Mike McGlinchey, but Russell Wilson ultimately needs to give his guys up front some help. According to PFF, Wilson was the second-worst quarterback in the league at converting pressure into sacks in 2022.
Again, it feels like this suspension for Omenihu comes at the ideal stretch for Kansas City. It certainly could have come at a worse time. Had the suspension been issued from Week 7 through Week 13, for instance, the Chiefs would be facing three playoff teams and three teams that rank in PFF's top 10 offensive lines, including their No. 1 unit in the Philadelphia Eagles. Keep in mind that bye weeks don't count toward suspensions in that example.
This is not to diminish Omenihu's potential impact, but the team should be able to manage without him given the competition they'll face.
Young Chiefs defensive linemen stand to benefit from Charles Omenihu’s suspension
The Kansas City Chiefs have options.
Featured image via Chiefs YouTube
