3 Chiefs Who Must Be Re-Signed to Ensure a Three-Peat in 2025 (and 1 That Can Walk)

2. Re-Sign: Drue Tranquill

Drue Tranquill is another guy who's versatility and ability to have an impact that goes well beyond his own personal play gets him the second spot on this list.

But even if we just start with his individual performance, it's not hard to make the case for keeping him in KC.

Tranquill finished the regular season tied for No. 3 on the defense in snaps despite only playing 57% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps on the year due to his late-season injuries. He was thrown at in coverage 30 times, only giving up 6.1 yards per target on those looks. For context, 6.1 yards per pass attempt would have ranked No. 30 among qualifying QBs on the year. A typical throw at Tranquill this year was only about as efficient as a Mac Jones or Zach Wilson pass attempt. 

And then we've got his versatility. He's not an elite run defender, but he does the job well enough, and that's really all you need from most of your off-ball linebackers in today's NFL. It's nice if they can stuff the run, but simply being average in that area is fine if you excel elsewhere. And coverage is obviously where Tranquill excels.

As mentioned above, throwing at him doesn't tend to work out well, and his impact goes beyond that. His ability to thrive in zone coverage (including taking on deep responsibilities the way you might expect a safety, not a linebacker, to do) is not easy to find at the position.

And when you pair that with an elite defensive mind like Steve Spagnuolo? Well we've seen what kind of magic they can make happen together.