The Kansas City Chiefs made one of their first personnel moves of the offseason when they released Mike Danna on Monday evening. The move was greeted with approval by Chiefs fans who had watched Danna tail off over the past couple of seasons, and the hope was that it would bring some new blood along the defensive line.
But that excitement may have lasted for one day.
According to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told reporters that the Chiefs will “stay in contact with Danna,” potentially keeping the door open for him to return on a lower salary.
The comments don’t make sense, and it already seems the Chiefs are willing to stumble backwards after appearing to take a step forward with Danna’s release.
Chiefs Risk Regression If Mike Danna Returns After Monday Release
Danna was a success story as a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, logging 21.5 sacks and winning a pair of Super Bowls over six seasons with the Chiefs. 17 of those sacks came as a rotational pass rusher for the Chiefs in his first four seasons, and his effort was rewarded with a three-year, $24 million contract as he was set to hit free agency after the 2023 season.
But over the past two years, the Chiefs have struggled to find value. Danna struggled with injuries, but his 4.5 sacks in 28 games were a meager output for the money he was making. The 28-year-old also struggled to generate pressure with nine pressures in 192 pass-rushing snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus, clearing the way for Kansas City to remove the $11.1 million cap hit off the books and save $9 million in cap space, according to ESPN.
Those numbers all suggest that it was time to move on. But the Chiefs have made a habit of bringing players back to Kansas City after parting ways. Derrick Nnadi returned to Kansas City in an Aug. 24 trade after signing a free agent deal with the New York Jets, and Mike Pennel also had a midseason reunion after asking for his release from the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 28 and returning to the Chiefs a few days later.
While benefits like “knowing the system” and having “a veteran presence” could be used as justification for those moves, neither player made an impact upon their returns, with Danna logging two quarterback pressures and a 51.5 overall grade in eight games, and Nnadi had a 43.6 overall grade and three pressures in 15 games.
Chances are Danna’s potential return would turn in a similar result and pass up opportunities to add a younger, more impactful player either in free agency or the draft. On top of that, if there was any lesson to be learned during last year’s 6-11 campaign, is that change would be needed if the Chiefs were to keep their championship window open.
After making minimal adjustments to the coaching staff, bringing back the same players would be “running it back” – even at a cheaper price. It makes the idea of cutting Danna counterintuitive and could lead Kansas City back to where it began this offseason.