Alex

Okafor

The Chiefs signed Okafor to a three-year deal in 2019 but restructured his contract ahead of the 2020 season, resulting in the veteran pass rusher hitting free agency following his second year with the team. Okafor has struggled with injuries since joining the Chiefs but plays well when healthy. He has eight sacks across 21 games in Kansas City and serves as a competent run defender as well. He’ll play a rotational role for the Chiefs this year.

Schwartz entered the game with a back injury and appears to have reaggravated the ailment. Kansas City doesn’t seem to be missing a beat as Clyde Edwards-Helaire is averaging 8.1 yards per carry and already has 113 yards on the day. Losing Schwartz is less than ideal but the Chiefs’ offensive machine should continue to role versus the Bills. Kansas City also ruled out DE Alex Okafor, who has .5 sacks through three games this year.

Initially due $15.1 million over the next two seasons (and $7.9 million in 2020), Okafor’s restructured deal includes a max of $4.96 million this upcoming year and allows him to walk as a free agent next March. He’ll also receive $860,000 in per-game roster bonuses and another $2 million in incentives. A rotational player for the Chiefs, Okafor will continue to work behind Frank Clark in the team’s season opener.

Okafor will receive an MRI Monday afternoon to confirm. It’s an awful time to potentially lose the prominent 28-year-old for the rest of the season since Frank Clark (illness) is also playing through a serious stomach ailment at this time. Okafor’s been in on 45.9 percent of Kansas City’s defensive snaps this year, recording five sacks over 10 appearances as a rotational piece. He’ll be replaced by Demone Harris if unavailable moving forward.

Okafor was ruled out shortly into the second quarter. It’s bad news for the team’s already porous run defense, particularly with the Broncos leaning on Phillip Lindsay early and often.

This will be Okafor’s third consecutive absence. The veteran DE has three sacks and has played at least 40% of the defense’s snaps in every game he’s been active in this season.

The Chiefs ruled him out in the fourth quarter. Okafor logged two tackles and one sack prior to exiting. Emmanuel Ogbah will finish out the game opposite Frank Clark in Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 scheme.

Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth “up to” $24 million. The Chiefs had a need on the outside after flipping franchise player Dee Ford to the 49ers. Coming back from a torn Achilles’ tendon last season, Okafor ended up starting all 16 games, registering 4.5 sacks while plugging the run. Okafor is not a star player, but he should provide quality snaps for a defense the Chiefs desperately need to be better.

First-rounder Jonathan Cooper is now the Cardinals’ lone unsigned draft pick. Okafor was a pass-rushing force at Texas, but has only average explosion (4.89 40-yard dash) and doesn’t boast a variety of moves. Okafor should see decent snaps behind starting OLBs Sam Acho and O’Brien Schofield, but will be mostly roster depth as a rookie.

The injury knocked Okafor out of the Combine, but he’s healthy now. An early- to mid-round prospect, Okafor also posted a 36-inch vertical leap and 9-foot-4 broad jump. Okafor led the Big 12 conference with 12 sacks last season.