Kansas City Chiefs: Fans are forgetting about Anthony Hitchens
The Kansas City Chiefs added to their inside linebackers with Anthony Hitchens in free agency, but fans seem to forget about him.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been busy this offseason after yet another agonizing loss in the playoffs to the Tennessee Titans. General manager Brett Veach was fed up at this point, especially with the defense. Before the Super Bowl was even played, Veach made a deal with the Washington Redskins to send away Alex Smith in return for Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick.
The move was followed shortly after with the trading of cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams for a fourth-round pick this year and a second-round pick in 2019. While it seemed like peanuts for a cornerback that has led the league in interceptions since 2015 when he was drafted and locked down one side of the field in the passing game, it was apparent that the Chiefs were over the antics that came with his talent. His lack of aggressiveness last season against the run and antics on the field proved what the organization has been selling since the playoff loss.
Instead of blaming defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, the organization decided to point the blame on the players. Even Marcus Peters spoke on NFL Total Access about how the defense lost that game for the team. Veach agreed with this as he made comments following the draft about some of the defensive players not being good enough or tough enough.
“Not good enough,” Veach said. “Sometimes it just comes down to having guys that are wired right. Guys that want to line up and play four quarters of football. Our need is to get tougher.”
During the second half of the playoff game against the Titans, the Chiefs defense completely fell apart. Incapable of stopping the Tennessee run game, the Titans took over. It’s not the first time that the Chiefs have struggled to stop the run game in the playoffs either. In 2016, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell ran for 170 yards during the playoff matchup against the Chiefs.
Many of Kansas City’s longtime defensive members were let go over the offseason. Safety Ron Parker, inside linebacker Derrick Johnson, and outside linebacker Tamba Hali were all players that have been a big part of the defense for many years. Other notable players that were let go are defensive tackle Bennie Logan, cornerback Terrance Mitchell, defensive end Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and cornerback Phillip Gaines. All of these players played a role last season in the playoffs but find themselves out of Kansas City.
While Kansas City has made some significant moves like bringing over Fuller and the signing of wide receiver Sammy Watkins, they also made a major signing for the defense with inside linebacker Anthony Hitchens. Hidden behind all the hype for the offense, Hitchens will be a great addition to a defense that has struggled up front. Hitchens will take over the spot left over by former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson next to Reggie Ragland.
We all have love in our hearts for Derrick Johnson, but it was time to move on this offseason. Kansas City ranked 25th against the run in 2017 and allowed 6.5 yards per rushing attempts in the playoff game against the Titans. It was clear that Johnson had lost a step last season and Hitchens will be a great addition as an all three downs linebacker. In 12 games last season for the Dallas Cowboys, Hitchens racked up 84 tackles which was the third best on the Cowboys roster.
The 2014 fourth-round pick has made impressions as a hard hitter that can not only stuff the run game in the backfield but drop into coverage. He played in all three linebacker positions that are involved in a 4-3 scheme last year for the Cowboys. Head coach Andy Reid had some praise for Hitchens and what he will bring to the Chiefs defense.
“The intensity that this kid brings is ridiculous,” Reid said. “I’ve got to back him off in these non-contact OTA things. He wants to hit everything he sees. I think the Kansas City people really like his game, the style he plays. We’re kind of a blue-collar town here and he’s a blue-collar player. He wants to rock it every snap, and so does Reggie Ragland. We saw some of that last year.”
Ragland made a huge impact toward the middle of the 2017 season when he finally saw significant playing time. With the addition of Hitchens, the Chiefs should fair better against the run in 2018. The team spent their draft adding defensive players as well that have that hard hitting and “nasty” to their game.
If I had to choose one trait that I love about Hitchens, it would be his ability to make the running backs day miserable. He reacts well to cuts and change of direction faster than most of the defense around him. His ability to get off blocks or even avoid them all together is something that players like DJ and Kevin Pierre-Louis failed to do last season. In fact, the inside linebacker position was a significant portion of the problem when it came to stopping the run last season.
Next: The Chiefs transition from Marcus Peters to Kendall Fuller
With Ragland and Hitchens commanding the middle of the defense in 2018, we should see a significant increase in production in not only the run game but the passing as well. Hitchens will help solidify the defense that struggled majorly in 2017, primarily at that position. We can finally be done watching safety Daniel Sorensen drop down inside the box and have an actual linebacker capable of playing the position there.