Kansas City Chiefs: 53-man roster predictions following first preseason game
Inside Linebackers
Keep: Reggie Ragland, Anthony Hitchens, Dorian O’Daniel, Ukeme Eligwe, Terrance Smith
Cut: Raymond Davidson, Ben Niemann, Otha Peters
The inside linebacker group was relatively easy to predict. I see the Chiefs keeping five inside and five outside linebackers this season. Past the top five guys, the names are almost non-existent when talking about making the final roster at inside linebacker.
Reggie Ragland is another player that Veach made a trade for last preseason and it seems to have paid off handsomely. Ragland was a second-year player that spent his rookie season on Injured Reserve. He wasn’t fully healthy when traded for, but as the season went on got more and more playing time with the defense. He was likely the only good thing from the inside linebacker position a season ago.
Related Story. Anthony Hitchens is exactly what the Chiefs defense needs. light
Derrick Johnson walked this offseason after spending many years as a fan favorite in Kansas City. It breaks my heart to watch one of my favorite players leave, especially to the Oakland Raiders, but it was time to move on. Johnson dropped off significantly after coming back from a late-season injury in the 2016 season.
After so many years of trying to find another good inside linebacker next to Johnson, it seems that Kansas City has found its duo the season after Johnson is let go. Veach signed former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens to a lucrative deal this offseason. Hitchens is a three-down linebacker that is not only tough against the run but also can drop back into coverage in nickel and dime packages.
Ukeme Eligwe and Terrance Smith both saw time with the starting lineup in the preseason opener last week. Both have shown some flashes but are not close to starting options in my opinion. Dorian O’Daniel is a rookie that will be a positional player in specific packages under Bob Sutton. He wasn’t on the field against the Texans which has me itching to see him in this weeks game.
Someone I could see knocking off Terrance Smith possibly this preseason is rookie Ben Neimann. He showed some consistency against the three’s and four’s with his vision and closing. I want to see him some more this preseason before I have him making the roster, however.