One of many query marks for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ 2024 season continues to be the timetable for the return of defensive finish Charles Omenhu, who suffered a torn ACL within the AFC Championship towards the Baltimore Ravens in January.
“You don’t change that top and that size that he has,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo instructed reporters earlier than Tremendous Bowl LVIII. “We’ll get guys to step in there. Felix [Anudike-Uzomah] will most likely should step in there.“
The rookie did play throughout the staff’s 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers — even getting a key first-quarter cease towards operating again Christian McCaffrey. But it surely was the primary time Anudike-Uzomah had been on the sphere throughout the postseason.
Earlier than then — apart from the Week 18 recreation towards the Los Angeles Chargers, when lots of the staff’s reserve gamers acquired prolonged enjoying time — two-thirds of the rookie’s defensive snaps had come within the first six weeks of the season, whereas Omenihu was serving an NFL suspension.
So whereas Omenihu’s absence throughout the season’s opening weeks is nearly sure to present Anudike-Uzomah extra enjoying time, the Chiefs will need Omenihu again within the lineup as quickly as doable. By his 11 regular-season video games final yr, he collected 28 tackles (18 solo and 5 for loss), together with seven sacks, two compelled fumbles and two passes defensed. Earlier than leaving the AFC Championship, he had registered a strip-sack of Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“It’s going good,” Omenihu instructed KPRC-TV reporter Aaron Wilson of his damage restoration throughout NFL coach Jeremy Hills’ youth soccer camp at Crump Stadium in suburban Houston. “[It’s been a] gradual course of — all people instructed me it was going to be like that — but it surely’s been first rate.”
Omenihu famous that one of many largest challenges in recovering from such a major damage is to stay affected person.
“Truthfully, proper now, I’m regular.” he mentioned. “I’m cool. I’ve acquired to be like this. I form of hold myself like that. [If I] simply keep plain, we’ll get to the purpose the place I ramp it up like that.”
Whereas the defensive finish nonetheless isn’t giving a timetable for his return, we could be positive he’d like to be again on the sphere for the Week 7 highway recreation towards the San Francisco 49ers, who let him stroll after the 2022 season. He hoped to play towards his former staff within the Tremendous Bowl.
“It wasn’t feeling,” Omenihu instructed Kay Adams in early April. “I wished to be on the market so unhealthy, particularly with it being my former staff. I felt prefer it was my alternative to point out like, ‘Oh. you guys didn’t need to pay me. You let me go.’
“It was my alternative to point out [them] that [they made] a horrible choice.”
Omenihu additionally needs to settle a debt to the Houston Texans, who acquired him within the fifth spherical of the 2019 NFL Draft — however traded him to San Francisco halfway via the 2021 season.
“You realize when the enterprise exhibits itself early in your profession, you retain that backlogged in your reminiscence,” defined Omenihu in April. “I used to be a part of the group of men that didn’t match the mould of what the highest thought was going to assist them succeed.”
The Chiefs will face the Texans on GEHA Discipline at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, December 21.
