Chiefs’ linebackers eventually found footing after transitioning to 4-3 base scheme
As the Chiefs prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine and 2020 NFL Draft, we’re evaluating each of the team’s position groups. Previously, The Star looked at the quarterbacks and defensive line.
Here, the linebackers.
2019 FINAL ROSTER: Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, Reggie Ragland, Ben Niemann, Darron Lee, Demone Harris, Dorian O’Daniel
INJURED RESERVE: None
NFI LIST: Darius Harris (undisclosed)
2020 FREE AGENTS: Ragland, Lee
Position review
The Chiefs switched to a 4-3 base defense under first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, but the 2019 season showed it was in name only.
In their 16 regular-season contests, the Chiefs went with the standard base unit to start a game nine times compared to seven in a nickel package, which calls for two linebackers and three defensive backs.
That meant Hitchens and Wilson were the primary linebackers, with Ragland or Lee serving as the third linebacker depending on situational personnel packages. There was a transition period that included early struggles against the run as the defense adjusted from previous seasons in a 3-4 base to Spagnuolo’s scheme, but the linebacker corps grew into its own after the midpoint of the regular season.
Hitchens started 15 games and paced the defense with a team-high 88 tackles, adding two sacks, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and four quarterback hits on 705 defensive snaps. He also contributed 47 snaps on special teams.
Wilson, who started all 16 games, finished second on the team in tackles (81) to go along with 1.5 sacks, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and four quarterback hits in 714 snaps.
Ragland was a healthy inactive in the first two games of the season and saw limited action while the defense struggled against the run in the first half of 2019.
Ragland, known for his run-stuffing ability, eventually returned to a starting role in Week 7, launching a period in which the Chiefs started games in a 4-3 base in seven of their final 10 regular-season games. He finished the year with 29 tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits.
Niemann proved his value as a backup linebacker by appearing in all 16 games, totaling 50 tackles through 409 snaps. He was also a core special teams contributor, logging the fourth-most snaps (281) on the team.
Lee appeared in all 16 regular-season games and drew two starts but played a total of 21 defensive snaps from Weeks 7-17 as his role shifted to special teams with Ragland back in the lineup. The Chiefs made Lee a healthy inactive for the three postseason games.
After logging 302 defensive snaps in his 2018 rookie campaign, O’Daniel totaled just five in 2019. But the 2019 season was a growing experience in a new scheme for O’Daniel, who embraced his role as a core special teams player with 292 snaps, second-most on the team behind fullback Anthony Sherman (310).
The Chiefs list Harris as a linebacker on their official website, but in reality the 6-foot-4, 272-pound veteran played defensive end. Harris joined the Chiefs in late November after being signed off the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. He totaled four tackles, two tackles for a loss and a quarterback hit as part of the team’s pass-rush rotation on 121 defensive snaps the rest of the season.
Looking ahead
With Ragland and Lee scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on March 18, the Chiefs’ linebacker group is primed to welcome some new faces in 2020.
The cash-strapped Chiefs project to have just $16.5 million in salary cap space, and Wilson, who’s entering the final year of his contract, will count $3.8 million against the cap, according to Spotrac.
Hitchens, who will earn a base salary of $7.8 million in 2020, is signed through 2022.
The Chiefs don’t necessarily need to address their need at linebacker through free agency — there will be options available in the draft, too. But adding competition to their linebacker corps with an impact guy who can play all three downs while excelling in coverage should be a priority if they elect to not bring back Ragland.
The Chiefs also signed Emmanuel Smith, who spent time on their practice squad in 2019, to a reserve/future contract.
On the chopping block?
The Chiefs shipped a 2020 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Lee last year.
While he started two games in Kansas City, Lee’s limited defensive snaps in the second half of the season and inactive status during the Chiefs’ postseason run to the Super Bowl suggest the team is prepared to move on.
