Derrick Nnadi is the new Jets defensive lineman with a big body and an infectious smile. You can almost tell that he likes to drop his strong, silent facade every once in a while and have some fun out on the field.
"I don't really talk much," Nnadi, 28, said after signing with the Green & White as an unrestricted free agent earlier this month. "I kind of let my play do my talking. And when I celebrate ... you've got to see me when I start freaking out and being 'Nnadi'."
We don't think he meant "naughty" there, although opposing offenses may have differing opinions.
But the 6-1, 317-pounder has been nasty in contributing to Kansas City's superior run after he arrived as the Chiefs' third-round selection (75th overall) in the 2018 draft. Nnadi was in the middle of the D-line that contributed to all five of KC's most recent Super Bowl appearances, including their SB wins after the 2019, '22 and '23 seasons (although he was injured and played in only one playoff game in '23).
He had some definite ideas when newyorkjets.com reporter Caroline Hendershot asked him recently what it takes to win three NFL championship games in a five-year span.
"Through the ups and through the downs, it's all about trusting the process," he said. "When you're losing, you've got to take it on the chin and learn from it. When you're winning, you've got to be respectful, like you've been there before, and be respectful to your opponent. So it's all about the respect factor as well as taking every single thing as it is that day."
Nnadi was a pivotal part of the Chiefs' flexible defense, playing from 2018-23 in 114 of their 117 games (including playoffs) with 98 starts. He figured prominently in the NFL's eighth-ranked run defense in '22 and in their top-10 scoring defense in '19, '21 and '23.
Last year he played in all 20 of KC's games but was in the starting lineup only once — the first time in seven seasons as a Chief that he didn't reach double-digit starts.
Nnadi likes the Jets' line, especially with edge/LB Jermaine Johnson, his fellow Florida State Seminole, set to return from last season's early injury, and feels the group will be hungry for success.
"Honestly, I felt it was just a good opportunity here," Nnadi said. "They're trying to build up something wonderful and I want to be part of it."
