5 Chiefs Making Their Final Playoff Run With Kansas City in 2025
3. Derrick Nnadi, DT
Derrick Nnadi is one of those players who's carved out an impressive career despite never being the best player at his position. Before the 2024 season, the ex-2018 third-rounder had started in 86 of his 98 career appearances while winning three Super Bowls in a Kansas City jersey, highlighting his importance to the defense.
Fast forward to now when Nnadi is playing a much smaller role for the Chiefs. The 28-year-old defensive tackle is now in his backup era, having played just 17% of defensive snaps without a start in 16 appearances before Week 18.
Nnadi has failed to generate much of a buzz amid his limited showings, tallying just three solo tackles. His 12.5% missed tackle percentage is the second-worst mark of his career, playing a role in his personal-worst 34.5 defense grade on Pro Football Focus.
Now that he's set to hit free agency in two months, it's hard to imagine Nnadi returning to the Chiefs on another contract. His performances have trended in the wrong direction for the last few years and things are unlikely to reverse course now that he's getting closer to his 30s.
Hopefully, the Chiefs can help Nnadi win a fourth Super Bowl because he likely won't have another opportunity to do so with the franchise after the 2024-25 postseason.