Chiefs hope to have Ragland and Hitchens on the field against Chicago Bears
When Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman sprinted for 15 yards off left tackle on one play and then darted for 15 yards off right tackle the next in the opening drive of last Friday’s preseason game, it was a gut-punch to the Chiefs’ defense.
Those blows landed eerily similarly to the ones that ultimately knocked the Chiefs out of the postseason last season against Tennessee. The Chiefs’ front office devoted much of the offseason to addressing the team’s defensive shortcomings, particularly its failure to stop the run. The Chiefs ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game in 2017.
So far this preseason, those perceived upgrades haven’t been evident largely because key members in the middle of the starting defense haven’t been in pads for either of the Chiefs’ first two exhibition games. But it appears inside linebackers Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens may be poised for their first game action of the preseason this weekend in Chicago.
“Oh yeah, that’s the plan,” Ragland said Wednesday when asked if he’d play this weekend. “Right now, I’m going to take it day by day. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go. But if not, (then) week 1 is the day.”
Ragland, acquired via trade last August, got a late start to training camp. His knee swelled up following a trip to Mexico, where he was promoting the Chiefs’ regular-season game that’s scheduled for November in Mexico City.
Hitchens, a big-ticket free-agent signing this offseason, missed part of training camp with tightness in his hamstring. He did take part in pre-game warmups on the field before their preseason opener at Arrowhead Stadium, but he did not play.
While he admitted that he was “itching” to get in a game and hit somebody, Ragland also tried to downplay the idea that he and Hitchens haven’t had enough time to work together as the backbone of the run defense. He pointed to OTAs, meetings and practice as times when they’ve been able to develop “chemistry.”
While the duo has yet to line up side-by-side on the field in a game setting, they have been participants in practices together during portions of training camp.
“For the most part, whenever we get out there in the games it’s going to be natural — I believe,” Ragland said. “Because it’s already natural during practice and everything. If I don’t see something, Hitch sees it. When Hitch doesn’t see it, I see it. It’s very helpful. I think when the time comes and we get out there playing, everything is going to fall into place like dominoes.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, knowing all the efforts made to reconstruct the porous 2017 defense, seemed eager for the two to play this weekend. The starters are expected to any see significant playing time.
“If they can go, they’ll be out there,” Reid said. “There is a good chance they play in this game. We will just see how the practices go. Right now, they feel pretty good and right now that is a positive. It’s not even that I need to see them. They need to continue to play. They are both young guys, one being new on the defense. If they can be out there, they need to go.”
Without Ragland and Hitchens to anchor the defensive front, the onus has been placed primarily on second-year player Ukeme Eligwe, third-year man Terrance Smith and rookies Dorian O’Daniel and Ben Niemann.
In each of the Chiefs’ first two preseason games, opposing offenses have been able to control the ball and dominate possession, mounting scoring drives of 60 yards or more by methodically marching down the field.
“You’d love to see (Hitchens and Ragland) be out there,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. “You’d love to see them have an opportunity to interact with all the other guys on the unit. I think that’s something that just has to develop.
“It’s unfortunate that we haven’t been able to get them out there. They’ve been in practice here the last couple days. That’s a start in the right direction, but there’s nothing we can do about that.”