The Chiefs continue to add defenders to their revamped defensive front as they look to replace production lost from Justin Houston and Dee Ford.
On Monday, former Chargers, 49ers, and Jets defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu signed a deal to join the Chiefs. His agency, Sports Trust Advisors, sent out a congratulatory tweet announcing the deal.
Chiefs fans should be familiar with Attaochu, because he spent the bulk of his career as a member of the Chargers. The 2015 season with Chargers was Attaochu’s most successful season in the NFL. He started a total of 12 games for the team and recorded 6.0 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 52 total tackles.
At 6-foot-3 and over 250 pounds, Attaochu is a fit for what the Chiefs are looking for at the defensive end position in their new scheme.
The 2016 season is where Attaochu ran into some trouble. A foot injury ultimately landed him on injured reserve, and since then he hasn’t been able to establish any sort of consistency.
Attaochu spent the 2018 offseason with the 49ers, but he didn’t survive 53-man roster cuts. He caught on with the Jets and played in 11 games for them, but wasn’t a starter. He found himself on injured reserve with a concussion before the end of the season.
One thing that is particularly intriguing about this signing is that Attaochu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Chiefs defensive linemen Derrick Nnadi, Alex Okafor, and Emmanuel Ogbah all have Nigerian roots. It seems like the Chiefs are trying to build a defensive line that all share that common thread.
