Chiefs: Drue Tranquill signing paying massive dividends at midseason mark
The Kansas City Chiefs were fairly active during the 2023 free agency period and managed to land some studs on both sides of the ball. They reinforced the offensive line with players like Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith. They gave Patrick Mahomes a new weapon in Richie James. What stands out most is how Brett […]
The Kansas City Chiefs were fairly active during the 2023 free agency period and managed to land some studs on both sides of the ball.
They reinforced the offensive line with players like Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith. They gave Patrick Mahomes a new weapon in Richie James. What stands out most is how Brett Veach gave Steve Spagnuolo some key additions to the defense in Charles Omenihu, Mike Edwards, and Drue Tranquill.
Which player looks like the best signing at the midseason mark? While there haven't been any "bad" signings, one clearly stands out from the rest as the best. That's none other than former Los Angeles Chargers LB Drue Tranquill.
Here's why:
Expanding Tranquill's role
It became quickly apparent this offseason that the Chiefs were going to need to find ways to get each of Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, and Willie Gay Jr. on the field. Steve Spagnuolo started carving out specific roles and sub-packages for each player with the goal of playing to their strengths.
In Week 1, Tranquill played just 13 defensive snaps. In Week 2, he more than doubled his snap total because his play was deserving of it. However, in Week 3, there was a big development that pushed Tranquill into the spotlight.
Games with Tranquill as the MIKE
Chiefs' starting middle linebacker Nick Bolton was taken out by a high ankle sprain. He missed games against the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings with his ankle injury. This paved the way for Tranquill to get his shot at the MIKE linebacker role. That experience proved extremely valuable when Bolton suffered the wrist injury that landed him on injured reserve.
The results with Tranquill playing MIKE have been staggering for Kansas City. They've won four games and lost just a single game in that span. That loss had a lot more to do with turning the ball over five times than anything related to the defensive side of the ball, even if the run defense wasn't as tight as usual.
With Tranquill at MIKE, the defense has allowed a 36% conversion rate on third downs. They're allowing just under 18 points per game on average in those five games. This is all with Tranquill acting as the defensive signal caller and wearing the green dot for Steve Spagnuolo. Bolton has him beat on the four-game stretch with 13.75 points per game on average, but it's hard to scoff at either number.
His own personal numbers have been solid too with 42 combined tackles, one tackle for loss, 18 stops, 1.5 sacks, and 8 pressures. He's allowing just 7.06 yards per reception in the five games where he's worn the green dot and he hasn't allowed a single touchdown in coverage all season.
No. 23 is having a tangible impact and at a position where Kansas City hasn't traditionally had a lot of depth. He's not just impacting it with his own performance either, he seems to be making everyone around him better and executing the scheme at a high level. That's more valuable than many might realize, and it's a reason that the Chiefs might want to consider extending his contract sooner rather than later.
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