'We're lucky to have him again' — Chiefs HC Andy Reid, DE Mike Danna react to DT Derrick Nnadi's return to Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs brought back three-time Super Bowl champion Derrick Nnadi in a trade with the New York Jets. The reunion brings Nnadi back to the team that drafted him out of Florida State in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Ahead of Nnadi's first practice with the team on Tuesday, Aug. 26, his teammates and coaches had a chance to react to his return. Mike Danna, who played alongside Nnadi for five seasons before the defensive tackle left to join the Jets this offseason, spoke to reporters about the significance of Nnadi's return to the team. It sounds as though this move won't just have an impact on the field, but also on the locker room chemistry.

"Yeah, he's here now," Danna said. "I think that's a great thing. You know, blessings for him. I think anytime you can bring a veteran leader like him, a guy who's not knowledgeable about the game, but also knowledgeable about the system. You know, he had a lot of success in the system in previous years. He spent the last seven years here, so I'm happy to see him back. You know, there was a big smile on his face when he got here. So, he hasn't changed, and he's still the same guy. We're lucky to have him again."

Chiefs HC Andy Reid weighs in on Derrick Nnadi's return to Kansas City

Asked what the team is getting in Nnadi, Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about the player and positional value along the defensive line.

"Yeah, I think just a good inside player," Reid said. "And you can't really have enough of those guys. He knows the system, so getting back in there, I think, is a positive. And Brett (Veach), you know we're always a little heavy on O-Line and D-Line. I mean, that's normally (what we do), just to make sure we've got those areas filled."

With seven years in the system, Nnadi should be able to slot in right away as a rotational depth piece for Steve Spagnuolo's defense. The Chiefs can point to the past few years of trades around 53-man roster cuts and confidently say that it's challenging for new players to come in and learn the system, having not been involved in the offseason program and training camp. The familiarity, combined with positional value, is really what made this most appealing for Veach and Reid.