The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t exactly loaded with a plethora of defensive talent.
So it surprised many when the team sent All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 29 overall pick plus fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2026 draft and a 2027 third-round pick.
The 25-year-old McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro selection and two-time Super Bowl champion, was arguably the Chiefs best defensive player. He totaled 246 tackles, 5.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, three interceptions, and 34 passes defensed in four seasons.
Trading away McDuffie leaves defensive tackle Chris Jones and defensive end George Karlaftis as the two biggest stars on the defensive side of the ball, but the Chiefs nearly traded away another top defensive player before the McDuffie deal came to fruition.
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According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the team was close to trading linebacker Drue Tranquill to the New York Giants, but the deal ultimately fell through.
“The linebacker that the Giants actually were going to trade for, from the Kansas City Chiefs — it seemed to be before the start of free agency — Drue Tranquill,” Raanan recently said on the “Breaking Big Blue” podcast.
“He ended up staying in Kansas City, taking a pay cut to stay. Seems to be something he wanted to do. He didn’t want to leave there.”
Tranquill was set to make $6 million next season, but he restructure the final year of his deal to a reduced $3.5 million to stay put.
Though he’s not nearly as big a star as McDuffie is, Tranquill is still one of the Chiefs more dependable defensive players. The 30-year-old LB was Kansas City’s third-leading tackler last season (103), and he added two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 52 tackles in run defense, and 27 run stops, according to Pro Football Focus.
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