Drue Tranquill ‘Surprised’ Chargers Moved Him On
Linebacker Drue Tranquill didn’t plan on joining Kansas City, but he’s excited to earn his place on the team.
You can’t blame Drue Tranquill for being surprised the Chargers didn’t bring him back – he’d just had his best season. In 2022 Drue Tranquill had 95 solo tackles, eight QB hits and one interception returned for 20 yards.
The 27 year old has 202 solo tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits over his career. Now he has to start all over again with the Chiefs, who told him he’s not a guaranteed starter.
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“I was a little surprised the Chargers didn’t want to bring me back,” Tranquill said.Â
“There were people in the building that really wanted me back — and there were a few people who wanted to move on. Business is business, but when you give four years so hard to an organization — and it doesn’t feel reciprocated — that’s hard. We had three kids out in LA. We were hoping to stay out there. And it didn’t pan out.
“Brett Veach and Andy Reid’s message was, ‘Drue, there’s no promises here,'” Tranquill said.
“‘We love you as a player. We love what you’re able to do. You’re super-versatile. You’re a total linebacker and can do it all — but we’ve got a lot of great players here, and you’re going to have to come in here and earn your way.'”
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“It was kind of the same message when I chose Notre Dame over Purdue,” he remembered. “Purdue was like, ‘You’ll come in here and you’ll play right away.’ Notre Dame was like, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to earn your way.’ If I’ve learned anything in my story, it’s when I surround myself with people who are as good — or better than — I am, I always end up coming out better on the other end.”
