Kansas City Chiefs are signing linebacker Drue Tranquill to 1-year deal, sources say
The Chiefs on Friday bolstered the linebacker room.
The Chiefs are signing former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill to a one-year, $3 million contract, which can max out at $5 million through incentives, sources familiar with the situation confirmed with The Star.
The 6-foot-2, 234-pound Tranquill comes off a 2022 season where he recorded career-high numbers in starts (16), tackles (146), sacks (5) and quarterback hits (8).
Tranquill, who wore the green dot in the second half of the Chargers’ defense last season, adds depth behind starters Nick Bolton, Willie Gay Jr. and Leo Chenal. Tranquill and linebacker Jack Cochrane project as the primary backups within the position group.
The Chiefs are likely to also rely on Tranquill to contribute on special teams, a role he showed in Los Angeles that he can handle. In four seasons with the Chargers, he logged 484 special snaps as a four-phase special teams contributor.
Kansas City needed another linebacker to contribute on special teams after the team opted to not extend a qualifying restricted free-agent tender on Darius Harris, who is now an unrestricted free agent.
Tranquill originally entered the league in 2019 out of Notre Dame as a fourth-round pick with the Chargers. He has appeared in 47 career regular-season games with 27 starts, totaling 298 tackles, 6.5 sacks, an interception, six passes defensed and 11 quarterback hits.
The Score first reported the news on Tranquill’s signing.
