What Drue Tranquill brings to the Chiefs Defense

Breaking down the skillset of the Chiefs' newest linebacker.

The Kansas City Chiefs made some splashy signings in the opening days of Free Agency, signing Jawaan Taylor and Charles Omenihu to multi-year deals. Those signing will be the most talked-about free agents for the Chiefs this year, but I'd argue that the signing of linebacker Drue Tranquill might contend for that spot at the end of the year.

On its face, signing a linebacker shouldn't move the needle that much. The room is well-stocked with young and ascending talent, so cracking into those snaps could prove difficult. However, Tranquill should slot into a very important part of Steve Spagnuolo's defenses and could help fix one of 2022's biggest deficiencies.

We'll cover that – as well as Tranquill's biggest strengths –  in today's film breakdown of the Chiefs' new linebacker.

Football IQ

When watching Tranquill, one thing immediately leaps off the screen: his feel for the game. Whether it be against the run or in pass coverage, Tranquill doesn't take many false steps and is generally triggering/dropping in the right spots. That wasn't always the case – early in his career, he looked to still be finding the speed of the game – but his ability to process the game has progressed immensely, especially in 2022.