Kansas City Chiefs DE Charles Omenihu proving to be further along in his injury return than anticipated

The Kansas City Chiefs got DE Charles Omenihu back on the field for the first time following his ACL injury in Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

It was the first time back on the gridiron with his teammates since the AFC Championship Game win against the Baltimore Ravens last season. While Omenihu failed to produce a sack, he played the 11th-most snaps of any defensive player on the team. His presence was palpable, and his ability to play for as long as he did during Black Friday's win was something that wasn't anticipated by the coaching staff. It simply happened naturally as the game went on.

"It was good to get Charles [Omenihu] out there," Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo said on Thursday. "He actually probably played more snaps than we anticipated, but I thought he was solid. There are a couple of things in there; if you happen to talk to Charles, he will tell you he wished he had done a little bit differently, but I thought it was solid. Going out there the first time on an ACL is not easy to do, to go out there and kind of have that confidence in, but credit to the trainers and Rick and his staff for getting Charles ready midseason."

Omenihu was on the field for all three of the Chiefs' sacks in Week 13, but Spagnuolo stopped short of crediting his presence for those sacks. He felt that a few were hustle plays from Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, while Jones' second sack was orchestrated by Nick Bolton. He did, however, acknowledge one thing about Omenihu being back on the field. 

"I don't know that," Spagnuolo said. "Look, I'm sure he drew some attention, right? Because he's a pass rusher, but I can't say I dissected it to say that his presence had an effect."

As for Omenihu's teammates, they're elated to have him back in the fold. They feel his energy and presence when he's out on the field. 

"It was fun. It was fun," Chiefs DT Chris Jones said on Thursday. "It was good to get him back. He worked his butt off to be back and to have him back out there doing what he does best, rushing the passer. I think he played more than we actually planned for him to play, and he looked really, really good. So we're excited about that. We've got to keep him going and continue to get better with that. You know, he can bring a lot of versatility to our pass-rush unit. So, we always can do more sacks, man."

As the team gets ready for Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Omenihu should be in line to have an even greater impact. He says that he came out of Week 13 feeling good, which should allow him to get more snaps and have an even greater impact in this important AFC West showdown.