Chiefs Sign LB Zac Diles
September 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans linebacker Zac Diles (53) makes a tackle on Houston Texans fullback James Casey (86) after a second quarter reception at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Adam Caplan is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have signed former Tennessee Titans linebacker Zac Diles.
From Caplan:
LB Zac Diles has agreed to terms with the Chiefs, source confirmed.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) April 12, 2013
According to Caplan, the deal is for one-year and could lead to a starting role.
Diles, who agreed to a 1-year deal, should get a chance to compete for the starting ILB job next to Derrick Johnson.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) April 12, 2013
Here is a primer on Diles. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Houston. Early on, he played quite a bit for the Texans.
From the always reliable Wikipedia:
"Diles was selected in the 7th round of the 2007 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 2007 Diles played mostly on special teams. In 2008 he started 8 games as the Texans strong-side linebacker and made 66 tackles. In 2009 he moved to weakside linebacker and made 64 tackles and forced two fumbles. In 2010 he was again the starting weakside linebacker and totaled 81 tackles."
He left Houston in free agency and was signed by the St. Louis Rams but didn’t make the team. Since then he has spent time with the Bucs, Colts and Titans.
The last year Diles got significant playing time was in 2010, when he logged 673 snaps for the Texans. Pro Football Focus graded him a pitiful -21.6.
In 2010, however, Diles played pretty well for Houston, logging over 500 snaps and finishing the year with a +5.4 grade.
It is never terrible to add a veteran player at a position of need but there is a reason Diles hasn’t been able to catch on with any teams. He probably just isn’t very good.
The Chiefs will need to do better at ILB.