New inside linebacker duo should help Chiefs improve run defense
With Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens expected to be the starting inside linebackers for the Chiefs, the defense should do much better against the run.
Heading into the 2018 regular season, Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens are expected to be the starting inside linebackers for the Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, it was Derrick Johnson and Ramik Wilson who started against the New England Patriots to open up the 2017 NFL season. In fact, neither Ragland or Hitchens were with the Chiefs a year ago today.
General manager Brett Veach traded a fourth-round pick to acquire Ragland in late August. In one of the first set of acquisitions Veach made early in his time as a general manager, trading for Ragland eventually proved to be a good move for the Chiefs.
After being inactive for the first three games, Ragland went on to play 13 games for the Chiefs, starting in 11 of them, including the playoffs. Despite not playing four games in the regular season, Ragland managed to finish eighth in tackles with 44. In the playoff game against the Tennessee Titans, Ragland logged nine tackles, leading the Chiefs in that game.
Like Ragland, Hitchens, who signed with the Chiefs as a free agent this offseason, also missed four games in 2017. But Hitchens made his presence known through 12 starts, recording 84 tackles, the third best for the Dallas Cowboys last year.
Kansas City ranked 25th in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of 118 yards per game on the ground. Kansas City allowed 6.5 yards per rush in the playoffs, the most among the 12 teams in the postseason.
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With Ragland and Hitchens as the new inside linebacker duo for the Chiefs, the defense should make progress with its run-stopping defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Ragland was rated 19th and Hitchens was 21st against the run among inside linebackers in 2017.
If both Ragland and Hitchens can stay on the field for a full 16-game season, Kansas City’s defense will improve in many areas, especially against the run.