New Kansas City Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill Has Impressed During OTAs

The Kansas City Chiefs have spent their final week of organized team activities (OTAs) focusing on their AFC West opponents, including the Los Angeles Chargers.

That team is down one valuable starter after the Chiefs signed Drue Tranquill, who spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Chargers, in March.

After playing 93% of the team’s defensive snaps for Los Angeles last year, Tranquill earned plaudits during OTAs from his new teammates.

“(I) really like Drue Tranquill a lot,” safety Justin Reid said. “He’s been adjusting really nicely.”

Reid, who signed as a free agent with the Chiefs last year, knows how difficult the transition to Steve Spagnuolo’s complex defense can be. The Chiefs defensive coaches install about five times more defensive plays per game (around 30) than each of his previous staffs did with the Houston Texans, and the scheme includes specific pressures catered to each week’s opponent.

Despite the depth of the playbook, Tranquill is thriving so far.

“Drue’s made a lot of plays,” Spagnuolo said.

Tranquill was a major playmaker last year, but his acquisition flew beneath the radar a bit. Perhaps it’s because he didn’t fill much of a need.

Though the Chiefs had holes at wide receiver, defensive line and offensive line entering the offseason, they were pretty set at linebacker.

The Chiefs often only play two linebackers on the field at once and already have two good, young ones in Nick Bolton and Willie Gay plus promising second-year player Leo Chenal.

But Tranquill’s value was just too good to pass up when they found he could be had for just a one-year, $3 million deal.

“I don’t know if we went into free agency saying linebacker was a super high priority,” General Manager Brett Veach said. “But then as free agency goes, there’s always some guys that for some reason they’re just out there and they’re really good players.”

As free agency went, the Chiefs had a lot of discussions involving JuJu Smith-Schuster. They wanted to retain their leading wide receiver from last year, but he ultimately signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the New England Patriots.

But when one door closed, another opened.

Smith-Schuster and Tranquill are both represented by the same agency, which is called Wasserman.

“Once we congratulated JuJu’s crew and his team of agents,” Veach said, “we were made aware that Drue Tranquill was still out there.”

The Chiefs loved Tranquill’s versatility. A safety during his first three years at Notre Dame, he can defend against the pass, but the 6-2, 228-pounder can tackle or rush the passer as well.

Those myriad skills are proven by his impressive stat line from last season of 146 tackles, five sacks and four passes defended.

“A great blitzer, great in pass coverage,” Veach said, “he can play MIKE; he can wear the green dot and back up Bolton. He can play some WILL and he can play some on the line of scrimmage.”

As the Chiefs prepared for the AFC West this week, Tranquill went from foe to teammate.

Even after missing almost all of the 2020 season with a broken ankle, he’s played against the Chiefs six times. And when the Chargers last beat the Chiefs — in Week Three of 2021 — Tranquill had eight tackles, including a half sack.

“Playing against him,” Veach said, “(we) knew how good he was.”