Kansas City Chiefs: Willie Gay appears to be taking the next step

Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay was a high investment into the linebacker position for Kansas City in the 2020 NFL Draft, but after only playing 25% of the defensive snaps last season many fans are wondering when we will see more from the young linebacker.

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay, who was drafted in the 2020, appears to have taken major developmental strides this offseason.

Last year, Gay wasn’t afforded the luxury of a full offseason to develop due to COVID-19. In 2020, he played very limited snaps, but still showed flashes of raw athleticism and potential. Willie Gay admitted to the media that he didn’t fully understand the playbook last year. Which goes to show you that Willie Gay wasn’t ready for the NFL spotlight his rookie season.

"Willie Gay: “Last year, I didn’t know the scheme — so I was reading the quarterback’s eyes a lot of the time. This year, you can trust your drop, trust your scheme, trust your play-call, and it’ll put you in the right position every time.”"

After a frustrating end to the season, Willie Gay took it upon himself to improve and learn the playbook. He reported to camp with a newfound understanding of Steve Spagnuolo’s complicated defensive scheme and a work-hard mentality.

KC Chiefs LB Willie Gay is progressing in training camp

So far, Gay has undoubtedly had the best training camp out of any player on the team. He’s been flying around and making impressive plays seemingly every day. He’s using his physicality and speed to break up passes in coverage. Gay has also intercepted Patrick Mahomes multiple times during the 7 on 7 drills. It’s just practice, but nonetheless an encouraging sign from an emerging young talent.

Willie Gay just appears more confident on the field. You can see it in his demeanor and attitude. That’s the kind of attribute you can’t teach a young player, but it’s vital to future success. The Chiefs will need Willie Gay to take a larger role in the defense in order to win a championship.

As a massive Willie Gay supporter, I’m ready to watch him break out. From watching Willie Gay in practice, I can tell you firsthand his development has come a long way.

In my opinion, his natural talent is starting to gel with his newly acquired football knowledge and it’s unbelievable to see. All I’m going to say is watch out for Willie Gay Jr. in 2021!