Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator had high praise for the team’s expensive new linebacker Anthony Hitchens.
Earlier this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs made a major statement by putting their money on Anthony Hitchens with an amount that no one would have predicted.
By signing the former Dallas Cowboys linebacker to the tune of a 5-year, $45 million deal that includes over $25 million in guaranteed money, the Chiefs took some heat for doling out such an amount. However with such a lucrative deal, they also placed significant pressure on a player who has averaged 50 tackles, 1 sack and 2 passes defended per season since entering the league four years ago.
They say you never pay a player for what he’s done in the past but rather what you think he will do. With this contract, general manager Brett Veach has made it clear he believes Hitchens is capable of doing things in year five that he’s never done before in the NFL. That’s a major bet.
Fortunately the early word is that Veach’s vision for the heart of this young defense is everything he’d hoped for. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton had nothing but praise for the man tasked with replacing Derrick Johnson in the middle after DJ was allowed to leave in free agency (to the Oakland Raiders of all places). Here are Sutton’s comments:
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To be fair to Hitchens’ earlier stats, he was never given a chance to be the starter from the outset of a season. He was always the fill-in, the versatile guy who could step in at a moment’s notice and not embarrass the team—the Zach Fulton of the Dallas linebackers who would come in when Sean Lee or Jaylon Smith could not make a start themselves (which happens often for those guys).
By bringing in Hitchens, the Chiefs are banking on the promise of what he’s shown on the field so far translating to even greater things when asked to do them. On the one hand, the argument could be that Hitchens never stepped up enough for the Cowboys to start him. On the flip side, a player is sometimes buried for multiple reasons and prove later on that they were able to play all along. The Chiefs have certainly lost some nice players over time who have shown what they can do elsewhere, including David Irving with the Cowboys, Kurt Coleman with the Panthers, DeVaunte Bausby with the Eagles. That list might even include Fulton and the Texans soon.
The Chiefs have received some backlash for contracts like Hitchens (and Sammy Watkins) this offseason, but if they look the part this year for the Chiefs, those jeers will soon turn to cheers. So far, so good for Hitchens at this early stage. Here’s hoping he makes good on his deal and Veach’s trust when it really counts.