Kansas City Chiefs: What Omari Cobb can provide in 2020
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Omari Cobb as an undrafted free agent out of Marshall. What should Chiefs Kingdom expect from the Thundering Herd linebacker in 2020?
Linebacker has been an area of weakness for the Kansas City Chiefs since Derrick Johnson‘s tenure came to a close after 2017. The team has been searching for a linebacker who could try to match what Johnson did during his time in Kansas City, but players like that don’t grow on trees.
The team drafted Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and the hope is that he’ll be able to contribute heavily as a rookie. An underrated undrafted free agent who could end up being quite the steal, however, is Omari Cobb out of Marshall.
When looking at Cobb’s stats from his days with the Thundering Herd, the biggest thing that stands out is the amount of tackles he totaled as a senior in 2019. Cobb had 114 total tackles to his name last season and tackling has obviously been an issue for the Chiefs over the years. Time and time again, we’d see Chiefs defenders fail to bring down opponents and that’s troublesome.
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Cobb appears to be a great tackler and that could help him find his way onto special teams, or at the very least he could be a promising prospect on the practice squad ready for a call-up should the Chiefs need him. The talent level between teams in Conference USA and in the NFL is obviously quite different, but anytime a player can notch over 100 tackles – no matter where they’re playing – is impressive.
Right now the Chiefs linebacker corp consists of Willie Gay, Anthony Hitchens, Ben Niemann, Dorian O’Daniel, and Damien Wilson, so Cobb eventually sneaking in there to help out in some form isn’t unfathomable. Niemann isn’t a lock to make the roster and honestly – neither is O’Daniel.
Cobb’s ability to tackle efficiently and the fact that the Chiefs have a strong need for linebacker depth could give him a good shot at making the roster and playing a pivotal role on special teams. Unlike the other UDFAs I’ve covered at this point, Omari Cobb has the best chance at making the 55-man roster and playing in an actual game.
He might not get a ton of defensive snaps, but he should be able to find his way onto the field for special teams plays and that counts for something.
What do you expect out of Omari Cobb as a rookie?