Through nine games, it’s been a season to forget for Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Charles Omenihu. The 28-year-old defender failed to record a single tackle in the Chiefs' 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but even worse than that, Omenihu is not disrupting opposing quarterbacks as he once was.
The former San Francisco 49er signed with the Chiefs in 2023 on a two-year, $16 million contract and was suspended shortly after that for six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. At the time, the Chiefs were aware of the situation but decided to take a swing on Omenihu, as he was one of the rare pass-rushers on the market that possessed the ability to beat blockers one-on-one.
Fast forward to halfway through this 2025 season, and Omenihu is a complete shell of himself, despite being heavily depended on. Omenihu ranks 100 out of 114 qualified pass rushers on Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 52.4. He also ranks 55th in QB pressures, despite being 24th in the league in pass rush snaps.
Charles Omenihu Has Been a Massive Disappointment in 2025
Part of the explanation for Omenihu’s drop-off could simply be the effects of the ACL tear he suffered in the 2023 playoffs, and while that may be true, for a guy who is third on the Chiefs in D-line snaps, the expectation should be that Omenihu produces in a meaningful way. He's supposed to lead by example, but instead is showing his teammates what not to do.
When he's on his game, Omenihu can have a rippling effect on the rest of the Chiefs' defensive line. That was obvious in 2023, as Chris Jones and George Karlaftis combined for 21 sacks.
A strong pass rush also helps the secondary, as defensive backs have much more space to work with in the open field when the guys up front are doing their job. A good pass rush in the NFL is dependent on having multiple guys who can win their reps consistently, especially when you have a superstar like Chris Jones who takes up the majority of the attention of blockers.
Mike Danna, Jerry Tillery, and Ashton Gillotte are absolutely fine complementary players, but without a guy like Omenihu disrupting the QB, along with Jones and Karlaftis as your one-two punch, they are put in a position to do more than they are simply capable of. That can't continue if the Chiefs want to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City again.
The trade deadline is Tuesday, so there isn't a ton of time for general manager Brett Veach to find a replacement for Omenihu. That makes it even more important for the veteran disruptor to step up down the stretch if he wants to be re-signed by the Chiefs in the offseason.