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By Joe Kozlowski
Sports Team Lead
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When you think of the current Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are probably some of the first names that come to mind. And while those two offensive stars are legitimate game-changers, the club's defense has also stepped up. Charles Omenihu, who arrived during the 2023 offseason from the San Francisco 49ers, played a key role in that unit's success. Despite missing the start of the season while serving a suspension, he still tallied seven sacks and two forced fumbles during the campaign.
But now, he'll be unable to play in the biggest game of the year. When the Chiefs take the field for Super Bowl LVIII, the pass rusher will be sidelined with an injury. It's a painful blow for both Omenihu himself and Kansas City collectively.
Ultimately, though, the show does go on, and someone else will have to step up. With that in mind, let's unpack everything we know about the Omenihu injury.
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What Happened to Omenihu?
Although L'Jarius Sneed's forced fumble ultimately stole the show, Omenihu was responsible for what previously looked like the top defensive play of the AFC Championship. During the second quarter, he took Lamar Jackson down from behind, forcing a crucial fumble. George Karlaftis fell on the ball, giving Kansas City strong field position and a chance to build on what was then a 14-7 lead.
But the defensive end didn't get a chance to finish the game. After heading to the locker room shortly before halftime, Omenihu was ruled out for the game with a knee injury.
There was briefly some optimism when he suggested that he'd be fine for the Super Bowl, but that quickly evaporated. Multiple sources, including Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz and NFL Network's James Palmer, reported that the veteran had torn his ACL, ruling him out for the big game.
Omenihu, for his part, posted to X, formerly Twitter, a single emoji that spoke volumes.
Less Than Ideal Recovery Time
It goes without saying that missing the Super Bowl will be a major personal blow for Omenihu. But there's another downside to getting hurt this late in the season: the recovery will now bleed into the preparation for the 2024 campaign.
While everyone recovers differently, it can take athletes up to a year to get back to their best. Some will return to the field quicker, but it takes time to return to game shape and get over the psychological hurdles that can linger in one's mind.
Omenihu got hurt at the end of January; the NFL's 2024 preseason kicks off at the start of August. While those games don't matter, and the veteran probably wouldn't be seeing much action anyway, we're still talking about teams taking the field in essentially six months. The regular season begins roughly a month later.
And remember, there's training camp and an entire offseason of working out to stay in shape before that. The veteran, however, will have his own program to follow.
Is it possible that Omenihu plays during the 2024 campaign? Sure, but don't expect to see him sprinting out of the blocks in Week 1.
A Torn ACL Could Affect His Future in KC
In most sports, injury would give Omenihu some form of security. The NFL, however, is infamous for allowing injured players to be cut.
As we just discussed, the defensive end's injury will likely bleed into next season. Depending on how the timeline plays out, general manager Brett Veach could decide to move on; even if we're only talking about saving $7 million, that could make a big difference for a team that's trying to keep a championship window open.
Is paying $3.75 million in dead cap money a drag? Yes, but it's potentially better than carrying a nearly $11 million cap if you're uncertain when the pass rusher will return to full fitness.
To be clear, Omenihu made a difference during his time with the Chiefs. Salary cap management, however, is an emotionless business.
Who's Next on the Depth Chart for the Super Bowl?
Now that we've looked ahead, let's pull things back in and focus on the Super Bowl. Who will fill the void left by Omenihu's absence?
While we'll need to see what defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo cooks up, Mike Danna is the most likely candidate to step in at right defensive end. He's been with the Chiefs since 2020 and has recorded 17 sacks during that timeframe. Six-and-a-half of them came this year, leaving him only half a sack behind the injured Omenihu, but it's worth remembering that Danna played in five additional games.
It's also worth noting that the lineman played 74 percent of the team's defensive snaps this season, so it's not like Kansas City is throwing a practice squad player into the fire.
And while the Chiefs could get creative and line someone like Chris Jones up a bit wider, it's worth noting that the 49ers have Trent Williams, one of the league's top linemen, anchoring the left side of their offensive line. Perhaps KC will accept defeat there and simply try to hold their ground while applying pressure from the other side of the formation.
Losing Omenihu Is Obviously Less Than Ideal
It goes without saying that losing a starter before the championship game isn't ideal. Omenihu's injury, however, could compound a potential concern at the heart of the Chiefs' defense.
Kansas City, for all their strengths, hasn't done a great job of stopping the run. The Buffalo Bills piled up 182 rushing yards during the divisional round. The Ravens didn't have similar success, but that was more due to questionable play-calling than the Chiefs' strengths.
There is no doubt, however, that the San Francisco 49ers will apply pressure on the ground. Kyle Shanahan follows in his dad's footsteps and leans on a zone running scheme; that's only complimented by Christian McCaffrey, who looms large as one of the NFL's remaining game-changers out of the backfield. And that's not even considering Brock Purdy scrambling, as he did in the NFC Championship, or designed runs for Deebo Samuel.
Is Omenihu really a run-stopper? No, but he's still a part of the Chiefs' defensive front that needs to displace the Niners' offensive line. And with starting nose tackle Derrick Nnadi also injured, Kansas City might be looking a bit lean in the trenches.
Are there ways to compensate for that? Sure. As mentioned above, Chris Jones' position can be rather flexible, and it's possible that he'll stay more central in run-first situations. Spagnuolo could also pull his linebackers closer to the line of scrimmage to pack the box. That would place even more pressure on Kansas City's secondary, but that unit has stood strong all year. And, in terms of pressuring Purdy off the edge, we know that the coordinator is never shy about calling for a blitz.
For Omenihu and the Chiefs at large, suffering an injury so close to the big game is both a physical and emotional blow. The road to the championship, however, is never easy.
Now, we'll just have to see how the AFC champs can cope with this additional challenge.
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