Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs trade linebackers

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially traded D.J. Alexander to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Kevin Pierre-Louis.

Brett Veach has pulled off his first trade as the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, sending special teams ace and inside linebacker D.J. Alexander to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for another linebacker, Kevin Pierre-Louis.

Alexander was the Chiefs fifth round selection and made the Pro Bowl last season due to his special teams play, so on the surface this could be a bit of a head-scratcher.

Pierre-Louis was the Seahawks fourth round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft and has appeared in 27 games over the last two seasons for the team, making a single start in that time frame. Pierre-Louis has amassed a total of 16 career tackles with 1 pass defended and 1 fumble recovery.

It should be noted that Pierre-Louis was a tremendous workout warrior leading up to the 2014 draft. He was the fastest linebacker in his entire class at the Combine with a 40-yard dash time of 4.51 seconds. He was also tied for second strongest with 28 reps in the bench press, two off of the overall lead. He was second in the 20-yard shuttle, third in vertical leap and third in the broad jump. Remember this was the same class that included Khalil Mack, Ryan Shazier, Anthony Barr, C.J. Mosley, Christian Kirksey and more.

Perhaps Veach remembers scouting Pierre-Louis himself and fell in love with his abilities somewhere along the way. Now able to pull the trigger, it’s likely Veach is taking a flyer on a player the Chiefs were unable (or unwilling) to grab when he wasn’t in the driver’s seat. If so, and Veach’s take is spot-on, it could be a good move. If nothing else, Veach knows that Dave Toub can use this athleticism and strength to equal what he’s lost in D.J. Alexander’s special teams play.