The Kansas City Chiefs will be without two defensive ends to begin the 2024 season. The Chiefs announced they were keeping one of their defensive ends on the NFI list to start the season, which will keep them out for at least the first four weeks of the regular season.
Charles Omenihu will miss the start of the season
The Chiefs were already planning to start the season without defensive end Charles Omenihu. Omenihu is set to begin the season on the PUP list as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in the Chiefs’ victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game in January.
The Chiefs hope Omenihu will return to the active roster later this fall. If he doesn’t suffer a setback in his recovery, they expect him to be available sometime in November.
The Kansas City Chiefs will keep BJ Thompson on the NFI list
The Chiefs will be without another defensive end for the month of September. Per Tom Pelissero with the NFL Network, BJ Thompson, who suffered a cardiac arrest this summer, will begin the season on the NFI list:
Thompson, who was hospitalized in June after suffering a seizure and going into cardiac arrest during a special teams meeting, will begin the season on the non-football illness list. He’ll miss the first four games, but there is optimism he’ll play this season.
The Chiefs expect to start George Karlaftis and Mike Danna on the edge. Flex Anudike-Uzomah and Malik Herring are penciled in as backup defensive ends on the 53-man roster. The Chiefs will hope that core can stay healthy until Thompson and Omenihu return.
