Drue Tranquill

Last updated

Drue Tranquill
Drue Tranquill 2021.jpg
Tranquill with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021
No. 23 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1995-08-15) August 15, 1995 (age 29)
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school: Carroll
(Fort Wayne, Indiana)
College: Notre Dame (2014–2018)
NFL draft: 2019  / round: 4 / pick: 130
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2024
Total tackles:470
Sacks:13.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:9
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Drue Tranquill (born August 15, 1995) is an American professional football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Contents

Early life

Tranquill attended Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a senior in 2013, Tranquill made 75 tackles, including 16 tackles-for-loss, to go with four sacks and an interception as a linebacker. He added 1,420 yards and 28 touchdowns on 114 carries on the ground as a running back, along with 16 receptions for 348 yards and five touchdowns. [1] Tranquill was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, and received offers from several major programs, mostly in the Big Ten Conference. [2] [3] He verbally committed to Purdue University to play college football, but later decommitted and ultimately signed with the University of Notre Dame. [4] Tranquill's younger brother, Justin, played safety for Western Michigan University. [5]

College career

Initially committed to Purdue University, Tranquill decommitted when he received an offer from Notre Dame. [6]

As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2014, Tranquill played in 11 games with three starts and recorded 33 tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt. [1] He played in three games as a sophomore in 2015, with one start, but was lost for the season due to a torn ACL suffered while celebrating after breaking up a pass against Georgia Tech on September 19. He collected a medical redshirt for the 2015 season, and was able to play as a graduate student during the 2018 season as a result. [7] As a junior in 2016, Tranquill started all 12 games for the Irish, tallying 79 tackles, two tackles for loss, and an interception. [1] During Tranquill's senior year in 2017, he finished the year with 85 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, four passes defended, one interception and one forced fumble while starting all 13 games. [1] At the end of the 2017 season, Tranquill announced that he would return for a 5th year as a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering for the 2018–19 season. [8]

Awards and honors

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		234 lb
(106 kg)		31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		4.57 s1.59 s2.65 s4.14 s6.94 s37.5 in
(0.95 m)		10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		31 reps
All values from NFL Combine [13] [14]

Los Angeles Chargers

2019

The Los Angeles Chargers selected Tranquill in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. He was the 14th linebacker drafted in 2019. Tranquill was reunited with Notre Dame teammate Jerry Tillery, who the Chargers drafted in the first round. [15]

Tranquill in 2019 Drue Tranquill.png
Tranquill in 2019

On May 10, 2019, the Chargers signed Tranquill to a four year, $3.17 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $658,808. [16] Throughout training camp, Tranquill competed to be a backup middle linebacker against Nick Dzubnar. Head coach Anthony Lynn named Tranquill the third middle linebacker to begin the regular season, behind Denzel Perryman and Nick Dzubnar. [17]

On September 8, 2019, Tranquill made his regular season debut and recorded one solo tackle during a 30–24 victory against the Indianapolis Colts. On November 7, 2019, Tranquill earned his first career start, replacing Denzel Perryman who was inactive due to an ankle injury, and recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles during a 25–23 loss at the Oakland Raiders. The following week, he was inactive due to a calf injury as the Chargers lost 21–17 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. In Week 12, Tranquill started at outside linebacker and made 7 solo tackles and recorded a season-high three tackles for-a-loss during a 23–20 loss at the Denver Broncos. He finished his rookie campaign with 75 combined tackles (61 solo) and four tackles for-a-loss in 15 games and three starts. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team as a special teamer in 2019. [18] The Los Angeles Chargers finished the 2019 NFL season with a 5–11 record and did not qualify for the playoffs.

2020

Tranquill competed against Kyzir White during training camp to be the starting weakside linebacker after the role was left vacant after the departure of Thomas Davis Sr. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley named Tranquill the backup weakside linebacker behind White to begin the regular season. [19] In Week 1, Tranquill started the season opener and made one tackle before leaving the Chargers 17–16 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. On September 15, 2020, He was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after it was discovered he had suffered a broken ankle. [20] On January 4, 2021, the Los Angeles Chargers fired head coach Anthony Lynn and his coaching staff after the Chargers missed the playoffs due to a 7–9 record.

2021

On January 17, 2021, the Los Angeles Chargers hired former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as their new head coach. Defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill elected to transition to a base 3–4 defense. During training camp, Tranquill competed against Kyzir White, Kenneth Murray, and Kyler Fackrell to be one of the starting inside linebackers after long-time veteran Denzel Perryman left via free agency. [21] Head coach Brandon Staley named Tranquill a backup inside linebacker to begin the season, behind Kenneth Murray, Kyzir White, and Kyler Fackrell.

In Week 4, Tranquill earned his first start of the season after Kenneth Murray was inactive due to an ankle injury. He finished the Chargers' 28–14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders with five combined tackles (two solo). The following week, he started against the Cleveland Browns, recording a season-high 11 combined tackles (7 solo) and made a tackle for-a-loss as the Chargers won 47–42. [22] The following week, Tranquill was inactive due to a chest injury as the Chargers lost 34–6 at the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 10, Tranquill did not play during a 27–20 loss against the Minnesota Vikings and was listed as reserve/COVID-19. [23] Due to an ankle injury, Tranquill was inactive for Week 17. He finished the season with 76 combined tackles (45 solo), five tackles for-a-loss, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in 14 games and seven starts. The Los Angeles Chargers finished third in the AFC West and did not qualify for a playoff berth finishing with an 8–9 record.

2022

Tranquill entered training camp slated to be a starting inside linebacker after Kyzir White departed in free agency and Kenneth Murray sustained an ankle injury the previous season. [24] Head coach Brandon Staley named Tranquill and Kyle Van Noy the starting inside linebackers to start 2022, alongside outside linebackers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. [25]

On September 11, 2022, Tranquill started in the home-opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and made six combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Derek Carr during a 24–19 victory. [26] In Week 6, he collected eight combined tackles (six solo) and had a career-high two sacks on quarterback Russell Wilson in a 19–16 victory over the Denver Broncos. [27] On November 13, 2022, Tranquill collected a career-high 15 combined tackles (seven solo) in a 16–22 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. [28] He finished the 2022 NFL season with a career-high 146 combined tackles (95 solo), ten tackles for-a-loss, five sacks, four pass defections, a forced fumble, and one interception in 17 games and 16 starts.

The Los Angeles Chargers finished second in the AFC West with a 10–7 record and qualified for a playoff berth. On January 14, 2023, Tranquill started in his first career playoff game and made five solo tackles as well as an interception off of a tipped pass from Trevor Lawrence as the Chargers lost 31–30 at the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard Game. [29]

Kansas City Chiefs

2023

On March 17, 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Tranquill to a one-year, $3.00 million contract that includes $2.45 million guaranteed upon signing and a signing bonus of $1.44 million. [30] Tranquill entered training camp slated to be the primary backup middle linebacker. [31] Head coach Andy Reid officially named him the backup middle linebacker behind Nick Bolton to begin 2023. [32] [33]

On September 7, 2023, Tranquill made his regular season debut as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, making two combined tackles (one solo) in a 21–20 loss to the Detroit Lions. On September 24, 2023, he earned his first start with the Chiefs in place on Nick Bolton who was inactive due to an ankle injury. Tranquill recorded eight combined tackles (four solo) and made half a sack on Justin Fields during a 41–10 win over the Chicago Bears. [34] In Week 8, he made a season-high 11 combined tackles (seven solo), a tackle for-a-loss, and sacked Russell Wilson as the Chiefs lost 24-10 at the Denver Broncos. In Week 13, Tranquill made two solo tackles before exiting a 27-9 loss at the Green Bay Packers after sustaining a concussion. Due to his concussion, he was inactive the following week. He finished the season with 78 combined tackles (53 solo), 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for-a-loss, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 16 games and seven starts. [35]

The Kansas City Chiefs finished the season atop the AFC West with an 11-6 record, clinching a playoff berth. On January 28, 2024, Tranquill earned his first start of the 2023 postseason and recorded eight solo tackles as the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship. [36] On February 11, 2024, Tranquill appeared in Super Bowl LVIII, recording two total tackles as the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25–22. [37] [38] [39] [40]

2024

On March 7, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Tranquill to a three-year, $19.00 million contract that includes $12.50 million guaranteed upon signing and a signing bonus of $4.50 million. [41] [40]

Personal life

Tranquill is a Christian. [42] He and his wife, Jackie, have one son and two daughters. [43]

Tranquill won the Chess.com 2023 BlitzChamps II tournament, beating defending champion Chidobe Awuzie. [44]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Drue Tranquill". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ Vitovitch, Frank (November 19, 2013). "Drue Tranquill Commits To Notre Dame". UHND.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Drue Tranquill Recruiting Profile". 247Sports.
  4. ↑ Donohue, Tyler (November 20, 2013). "Notre Dame Flips 4-Star Ex-Big Ten Commit". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Justin Tranquill – Football". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  6. ↑ Donohue, Tyler (November 20, 2013). "Notre Dame Flips 4-Star Ex-Big Ten Commit Drue Tranquill, What It Means for ND". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ Farmer, Douglas (July 9, 2017). "Notre Dame 99-to-2: No. 23 Drue Tranquill, rover". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  8. ↑ Ray, Olivia (December 9, 2017). "Drue Tranquill will return in 2018". WSBT. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ "2016 Academic All-America® Division I Football Teams Announced". College Sports Communicators. December 11, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  10. ↑ Wittry, Andy (December 9, 2017). "College football award finalists announced". NCAA.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Drue Tranquills Work Rewarded". Journal Gazette. December 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Drue Tranquill Selected as 14th Wuerffel Trophy Recipient". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. December 4, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Drue Tranquill Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ "2019 Draft Scout Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  15. ↑ Henne, Ricky (April 27, 2019). "Chargers Kick Off Day Three With Notre Dame LB Drue Tranquill". Chargers.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Drue Tranquill contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Takeaways from Chargers first depth chart of 2019". chargerswire.usatoday.com. September 5, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  18. ↑ "2019 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  19. ↑ Govino Borquez (September 8, 2020). "Takeaways from Chargers first depth chart of 2020". chargerswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers Promote Asmar Bilal to Active Roster; Place Drue Tranquill on Injured Reserve". Chargers.com. September 15, 2020.
  21. ↑ Jason Reed (August 10, 2021). "LA Chargers: Ranking the linebacker rooms in the AFC West". BoltBeat.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Drue Tranquill Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  23. ↑ Daniel Popper (November 13, 2021). "Why are the Chargers throwing so many short passes? Mailbag". The New York Times . Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  24. ↑ Nicholas Cothrel (August 22, 2022). "Chargers LB Kenneth Murray Returns to Practice For First Time Since Offseason Ankle Surgery". SI.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  25. ↑ Nicholas Cothrel (September 6, 2022). "Chargers release unofficial Week 1 depth chart". SI.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers - September 11th, 2022". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers - October 17th, 2022". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers - November 13, 2022". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Wild Card - Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars - January 14th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  30. ↑ McMullen, Matt (March 21, 2023). "Five Things to Know About New Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill". Chiefs.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  31. ↑ Tod Palmer (August 1, 2023). "New LB Drue Tranquill's biggest lesson from Chiefs camp: 'Winning is absolutely everything'". kshb.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  32. ↑ Doug Farrar (July 8, 2023). "Why Andy Reid's recruitment of LB Drue Tranquill is a big deal for Chiefs' defense". kshb.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  33. ↑ Charles Goldman (September 2, 2023). "First observations from the Chiefs first 53-man roster depth chart". atozsports.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs - September 24, 2023". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Pro Football Reference: Drue Tranquill". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  37. ↑ Moore, Casey (February 4, 2024). "Chiefs roster for Super Bowl 58: Starters, backups, depth chart for AFC champs vs. 49ers". USA Today. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  38. ↑ "Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  39. ↑ Maaddi, Rob (February 12, 2024). "Patrick Mahomes rallies the Chiefs to second straight Super Bowl title, 25–22 over 49ers in overtime". AP News. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  40. 1 2
  41. ↑ Gordon, Grant (March 7, 2024). "Chiefs re-signing LB Drue Tranquill to 3-year, $19M deal". NFL.com.
  42. ↑ Doering, Joshua (February 7, 2024). "Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill enters Super Bowl grateful for God's 'overwhelming' faithfulness". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  43. ↑ Smith, Eric (December 8, 2022). "Enjoying the Ride: Tranquill Balances Fatherhood & Full-Time Starting Role". chargers.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  44. ↑ Jules (Jules) (June 23, 2023). "Chiefs Drue Tranquill Intercepts BlitzChampsII Victory with a Dramatic Queen Sacrifice". Chess.com. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
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