Former Chiefs starting linebacker Ragland agrees to terms with Lions, source says
The Chiefs will need another linebacker in 2020.
Reggie Ragland, who started seven games in 2019, agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions, a source confirmed with The Star. Financial details were not disclosed.
The 6-foot-2, 252-pound Ragland joined the Chiefs in 2017 via a trade with the Buffalo Bills. He appeared in 42 games with 32 starts over the past three seasons and was widely regarded as a good run-stuffing linebacker for coach Andy Reid and the KC defense.
Ragland’s playing time in 2019 started off slowly, though, with the Chiefs switching from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Ragland was a healthy inactive in the first two games of the season and experienced limited action in the first half of the 2019 campaign. He eventually returned to a starting role in Week 7 and finished the year with 29 tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits.
The departure of Ragland leaves a hole in the linebacker corps. The Chiefs currently have Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson returning as starters, with Ben Niemann, Dorian O’Daniel, Darius Harris and Emmanuel Smith in reserve.
Darron Lee, who appeared in all 16 regular-season games with two starts in 2019, is currently an unrestricted free agent.
The Chiefs currently have $676,971 in available cap space, according to the NFLPA, so finding replacements on the free-agent open market might be challenging for Reid and general manager Brett Veach.
Addressing the position group through the April NFL Draft, especially with a linebacker capable of playing in pass coverage, provides a more realistic scenario.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported the news of Ragland agreeing to terms with the Lions.
