Chiefs Newcomers Charles Omenihu And Mecole Hardman Help Defeat Chargers

The defending Super Bowl champions received two new toys this week. And they made great use of them.

The Kansas City Chiefs acquired Mecole Hardman, who spent his first four years with the team, from the New York Jets, and free-agent signing Charles Omenihu made his debut, following a six-game suspension.

“He’s a nice addition to the mix,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Hardman, though he could’ve been speaking about Omenihu as well.

During the Chiefs’ 31-17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hardman was the punt returner on the Chiefs’ opening possession and then received two snaps on their first drive, and Omenihu first received action on the Chiefs’ second defensive possession.

The Chiefs lined up Omenihu all over the field, playing him extensively at edge rusher on both sides of the line and also on the interior.

“It gives you flexibility there. He’s good at both,” Reid said. “You can work different combinations with that.”

During the week prior to the game, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said how much he was looking forward to pairing the 6-5 Omenihu with 6-6 Pro Bowl defensive lineman Chris Jones.

That length paid off on a 3rd and goal with 5:04 left in the third quarter — as the Chargers were poised to tie the game at 24.

Lining up next to Jones, Omenihu was blocked by Will Clapp but separated from him to bat down Justin Herbert’s pass, leading to a game-changing interception by L’Jarius Sneed.

The versatile Omenihu lined up at defensive end on a 2nd and 10 near the end of the second quarter and beat offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III for the sack, which Omenihu called the happiest moment of his career.

The other new toy, Hardman, was often used in motion as a decoy on offense but also had a dropped pass on the Chiefs’ first possession, forcing Kansas City to settle for to a field goal. On a 3rd and 12 in the second quarter, he couldn’t haul in a deep pass, which resulted in an interception by Asante Samuel Jr.

But Hardman bounced back in a big way in the fourth quarter.

With 6:32 left in the game, he returned a punt 50 yards to the Chargers’ 35-yard-line. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said that “put the game away.”

Indeed, the Chiefs scored the game’s final touchdown six plays later, and on the play prior to that, Hardman converted a 3rd and 6.

“He busted that punt out,” Reid said. “Then he came back and had a big catch. So welcome back, Mecole.”

Chiefs assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Dave Toub welcomed Hardman back by using him as both a punt and kickoff returner, calling him the fastest player on the team.

“It’s that breakaway speed,” Toub said. “He’s a dynamic player.”

The Jets had signed Hardman to a one-year, $4 million contract this offseason, but they rarely ended up playing him. So the Chiefs sent a 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Jets for Hardman and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

The Chiefs signed Omenihu to a two-year, $16 million contract as one of their marquee offseason acquisitions.

He, though, was suspended for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following an alleged domestic violence incident in January.

While Omenihu played for the San Francisco 49ers, police were called to his San Jose, Calif. home after a woman told police that he had pushed her to the ground during an argument.

Willie Gay Jr., who was suspended for a domestic incident last year before returning in Week Seven, could relate to Omenihu’s situation and advised him all week prior to his impressive debut return.

“The game was taken away from him, and now he’s back,” Gay Jr said. “He’s definitely grateful.”