Nick Bolton: Charles Omenihu is one of those guys you hate to see go down

Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu will not play against his former team in Super Bowl LVIII after tearing his ACL during the AFC Championship Game.

Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton said in his Thursday press conference that Omenihu is a significant loss for the team's defense for the last game of the season.

“It’s huge,” Bolton said in his press conference. “We missed him early in the season [during his suspension]. He came back and was able to produce for us. He’s one of those guys that you hate to see go down. He worked hard for this moment and would’ve had the chance to play against his old team, [in] that venue and that stage.

“You feel for him, for sure.”

Omenihu appeared in 26 games for the 49ers in 2021 and 2022, recording 4.5 sacks. Then in 2023, Omenihu played a key rotational role for Kansas City's defense, recording 7.0 sacks along with five tackles for loss and 11 QB hits in 11 games with one start. He also had a pair of forced fumbles and two passes defensed.

Then he recorded a strip-sack on Lamar Jackson during last week's AFC Championship Game.

Bolton noted the Chiefs will still feel Omenihu’s presence over the next couple of weeks.

“He’s going to be one of those guys in the facility that makes sure we keep the energy around,” Bolton said. "We talked to him early in the week. I actually talked to him yesterday, and just told him how we need his spirit in the facility still, your energy, your positivity. We’re just going to lean on him a little bit, and he’s going to lean on us while he goes through this process.”