Charles

Omenihu

The team believes Omenihu, who tore his ACL in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl in over the 49ers last February, will be ready to return in November. He had seven sacks and five tackles for a loss last season as part of one of the NFL’s best pass rushes.

In addition to Thuney, the Chiefs also placed EDGE Charles Omenihu, DT Derrick Nnadi, and DB Jaylen Watson on the PUP list. Thuney suffered what was called a “significant pectoral injury” by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport during last year’s AFC Championship Game against the Ravens and was unable to suit up for the Super Bowl as a result. In addition to Thuney, Omenihu suffered a torn ACL in the Super Bowl and is a likely candidate to open the year on the reserve/PUP list. All players are eligible to return to the roster upon passing a physical.

Omenihu suffered a torn ACL against the Ravens in last year’s AFC Championship game. The former fifth-round pick posted a career-high seven sacks in just 11 regular season games last season while also tying a career-high with five TFLs. Given the timing of his injury, Omenihu isn’t expected to be ready by the start of Week 1, but the sixth-year vet appears to be on track to return at some point in the season and will look to reprise his breakout season with the Chiefs again in 2024.

Omenihu said after Sunday’s win that he’ll be good to go for the Super Bowl, but that won’t be the case. Sunday’s injury brings an unfortunate end to the season for Omenihu, who totaled a career-high seven sacks and 28 tackles in his first year with the Chiefs. Omenihu is already under contract for next season and should be retained after this year’s successful run. He’ll likely open 2024 on injured reserve, but should be back at some point during the year.

Omenihu made one of the biggest plays of the first half with a strip sack but was injured shortly thereafter. The quick rule out suggests he will be doubtful for a potential Super Bowl appearance.

The Chiefs were already set to be without DT Derrick Nnadi on Sunday but fellow DT Charles Omenihu was also listed as questionable with an illness. While there is optimism that Omenihu will be able to play, the Chiefs are clearly looking to add more depth in the interior since both Nnadi and Omenihu each played over 50 percent of the team’s snaps in the first game against the Bills.

The suspension stems from a domestic violence incident in January. Omenihu was arrested and eventually issued a restraining order after a woman alleged Omenihu pushed her to the ground during an argument. He was an impending free agent at the time and the Chiefs ultimately signed him to a two-year $16 million contract. Omenihu tallied 4.5 sacks and three TFLs for the 49ers in 2022.

Omenihu will head from one elite team to another to help with the Chiefs’ pass rushing rotation. He’s coming off of a year where he had a career-high 4.5 sacks as a situational pass rusher for the 49ers who had the best defense in 2022. With the Chiefs recent release of Frank Clark, Omenihu will have a chance to hop in and improve upon his numbers for the Super Bowl champs.

Shanahan added, “We feel very good about letting the legal process play out.” Omenihu’s incident will be reviewed by the league, but he remains with the team for now. Barring a change in the situation, he will suit up on Sunday. Omenihu has 4.5 sacks and three TFLs this year.

Omenihu, who was booked at the Santa Clara County jail and was released after he posted bail, was given a restraining order following the incident, in which a woman alleged Omenihu pushed her to the ground during an argument. The woman complained of pain in her arm and declined medical attention when police officers arrived at the scene. Omenihu, 25, is a crucial part of a dominant San Francisco front seven that has given opponents fits all season.