Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill felt team would 'maximize' his strengths
The Kansas City Chiefs free agency steal revealed the biggest reason why he wanted to join the Super Bowl champions. And, while joining the reigning Super Bowl champions sounds fun, and it was a reason he joined, there is more to the story.The Chiefs had a few steals in free agency. They got Charles Omenihu, […]
The Kansas City Chiefs free agency steal revealed the biggest reason why he wanted to join the Super Bowl champions. And, while joining the reigning Super Bowl champions sounds fun, and it was a reason he joined, there is more to the story.
The Chiefs had a few steals in free agency. They got Charles Omenihu, one of the more underrated pass rushers in the league, for a pretty good deal. They also got Drue Tranquill, an underrated linebacker for the Los Angles Chargers a year ago, for pretty cheap too.
But why would Trabnquill do that? Why would he join his formal rival for as cheap as he did when plenty of other teams called his phone? It's simple, really.
"Yeah, there was, at any given time, there [were] probably ten or eleven teams involved," Tranquill said to reporters after a recent practice. "And, as dominoes fell, you know that that list shrunk. But there [were] about five, six teams that last day [that] I was kind of choosing between, and I think just talking to Coach Spags [Steve Spagnuolo], talking to Brett Veach, talking to Andy Reid, like, I just felt really valued here.
"Felt like they were going to use a lot of my strengths [and] maximize me as a player here. And that excited me and ultimately led to my decision to come here."
That last part means everything to players. They want to feel wanted not just by the money, but how will you use them in your scheme? The Chiefs have a complicated defensive scheme with Steve Spagnuolo. They didn't need a linebacker going into free agency, especially with the young trio of Nick Bolton, Willie Gay, and Leo Chenal on the team.
However, Tranquill is a guy who can do everything at a decent level. That is the type of guy the Chiefs need in their scheme. They need a guy who can help relieve Bolton a bit, so maybe he doesn't have to play every single snap, and Tranquill and Gay come in for a few plays. The biggest thing, though, is they need a guy who can drop back and cover, and Tranquill can do that.
We have been hearing a ton about the new guy in training camp, and the Chiefs may be getting a great return on investment. If he can put together a solid year, and the Chiefs can have a top defense, this will end up looking like one of the biggest steals in the entire league.
Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill is already turning heads
The Kansas City Chiefs biggest free agent steal is already impressing at OTAs.
Featured Image Via Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
