The Chiefs spent the offseason bolstering the team as they prepared to try and repeat, and that included signing linebacker Drue Tranquill away from the Chargers.
Tranquill signed in Kansas City during the first week of free agency, and the linebacker said the Chiefs recruited him pretty hard. So much so that coach Andy Reid was recruiting him up until Tranquill made his decision.
“I was really honored by the way the Chiefs pursued me, all the way from the front office down to the coaching staff,” Tranquill said, via NFL.com. “Andy Reid literally texted me the morning of [when] I was going to make my decision and he was like, ‘Think red. Think red. Think Super Bowls.’ I just felt really valued over there, felt like they really had a role for me and really wanted me over there.”
In 2022, Tranquill had a career season in Los Angeles, totaling 146 tackles and five sacks in 17 games played. Despite that, he signed just a one-year deal with the Chiefs worth $3 million plus incentives for the 2023 season.
Besides playing for Reid, Tranquill is also excited to play for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit.
“I just love what Spags does with his players,” Tranquill said. “Spags obviously does a lot of different things with blitzes, so I’m excited to see what we’re able to put together and try to get back-to-back [championships] here.”
Tranquill joins Nick Bolton and Willie Gay on the Chiefs’ linebacking core, bolstering the middle of a championship-caliber defense.
