Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is one of the best in the business at what he does, and he’s certainly one of the most beloved coaches in the NFL. That played out very well for his team this offseason, when Big Red went after a free agent linebacker he used to have to face twice each season.
Drue Tranquill, the ex-Los Angeles Chargers linebacker who found himself on the open market in 2023, found himself on the receiving end of a focused recruitment plan from Reid himself.
“Well, obviously, to me, obviously football is a business, but football’s also family,” Tranquill told the NFL Network this week. “I poured my heart out there for four years in L.A. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out. I was really honored by the way the Chiefs pursued me, all the way from the front office down to the coaching staff. 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. So, I’m excited to join up with those guys. I’m going to miss a lot of my teammates and coaches over there in L.A., but excited for this next step.”
Ex-Chargers LB Drue Tranquill reminds me of Lofa Tatupu. Does everything well, and I do mean everything. Someone's probably going to get a stupid bargain in free agency with him. pic.twitter.com/Os24MbIHsn
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 11, 2023
Somebody did get a stupid bargain, and it was the Chiefs. In the end, Tranquill signed one-year, $3 million deal. Not a bad haul for a guy who, per Pro Football Focus, had five sacks, 15 total pressures, 105 solo tackles, and 53 stops for the Chargers last season. In pass coverage, Tranquill allowed 46 catches on 58 targets for 440 yards, 333 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 95.4. He’s an ideal fit in a Chiefs defense that requires its linebackers to do everything, and in tandem with rising star Nick Bolton (who placed eighth in our list of the NFL’s 11 best linebackers), Tranquill is set up to thrive as perhaps never before.
Tranquill said as much when reflecting on the idea of playing in a Steve Spagnuolo-coached defense.
“I just love what Spags does with his players. He puts them in positions to be successful. I think one of my key traits is my versatility: my ability to defend the run, play the pass, play man-to-man, zone coverage, make plays on the ball down the field. And I think one of the things that kinda sets me apart as a linebacker is my ability to rush the passer. 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.”
Perhaps Tranquill will be a key part of the Chiefs’ quest for a repeat Super Bowl win; he certainly has the talent to make that happen.
