The Kansas City Chiefs’ outstanding defense is a major reason the team has won back-to-back Super Bowls. Keeping as many of those key players as possible is critical to mounting a legitimate run at a three-peat.
Re-signing Chris Jones to a five-year, $158.57 million agreement was a high goal, but it severely limited what else the Chiefs could accomplish. However, after moving cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans, they now have an additional $19.8 million in cash to spend.
Bringing back the defensive end Mike Danna was expected to be the Chiefs’ “first call” following the Sneed trade. However, he remains a free agent. The 26-year-old is expected to sign a three-year, $24.75 million contract in free agency, according to Pro Football Focus.
PFF analyst Brad Spielberger believes Danna will join the AFC South. He identified the Atlanta Falcons as the “best fit” to sign the Chiefs’ fifth-round choice in the 2020 NFL Draft. “Danna is the epitome of a solid, high-floor player who understands his role, controls his gap, and makes plays when they come to him,” said Spielberger on Thursday, March 28.
“He isn’t the burstiest athlete off the line, but he does a good job of driving opposing tackles back into the pocket. In a larger role in 2023, we saw him improve at separating his hands from blockers and going after the quarterback.
Danna has 6.5 sacks, 50 total tackles, and three passes defensed last season. He played 76.4% of the team’s defensive snaps and 15.2% on special teams.
An NFL insider urged the Falcons to sign a veteran edge rusher like Mike Danna.
ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell did not specifically mention Danna, but he pushed Atlanta to sign a “veteran edge rusher.”
“While the Falcons have let (Calais) Campbell and (Bud) Dupree hit the open market, the team hasn’t imported a single defensive player this offseason,” Barnwell said in a blog post on Thursday. “It has made significant investments on the offensive side of the ball in adding Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney to rebuild the passing game, but we haven’t seen (head coach Raheem) Morris & Co. add any talent to try to recalibrate things on the other side of the ball.”
According to ESPN, Atlanta “should have their pick of the defensive players on the board at No. 8… adding at least one veteran to the mix would make sense.”
Chiefs news: The door remains open for Mike Danna to return to Kansas City.
The Chiefs felt comfortable moving Sneed because they had good depth at cornerback. At the defensive end, Kansas City currently has only one viable starter ready to play in Week 1.
Justin Churchill, the owner of AtoZ Sports, said, “Danna is only getting better, and if the Chiefs don’t bring him back soon, it won’t take long for another team to realize they can get a great pass rusher who plays the run game well, too.”
On March 27, Mike Dugar of The Athletic said that “Danna and the Chiefs have shown interest in continuing their partnership,” implying that a comeback is possible.
“By keeping Danna, the Chiefs would have two strong starters at defensive end, as he would face George Karlaftis, who had a career-high 10 1/2 sacks and 17 quarterback hits last season. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a second-year player, will be the Chiefs’ third defensive end while Charles Omenhihu, a five-year veteran, recovers from a torn ACL in his right knee.”
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