Kansas City Chiefs offseason primer: Can Brett Veach build a championship roster?

SWITCHING TO A 4-3

Back in October, I wrote about a possible transition to a 4-3 defense and how the current pieces could fit. Now that we know more about the scheme the Chiefs will be running in 2019, it seems appropriate to revisit these ideas. Steve Spagnuolo runs a 4-3 under defense. It utilizes an exotic combination of zone coverage and blitzes, a staple of Jim Johnson who was Andy Reid’s coordinator and Spagnuolo’s mentor in Philadelphia.

Expect Spagnuolo to mix and match defensive fronts. Chris Jones and Breeland Speak will likely see time at defensive tackle and defensive end. Dee Ford is an excellent fit for a weakside end in Spagnuolo’s scheme.

The biggest questions reside on where Justin Houston and the other linebackers will play. Justin Houston should have the versatility to see action as a strongside linebacker and defensive end. Houston will likely be off the ball on early downs, and then put his hand in the dirt on passing downs while Dorian O’Daniel checks in to offer coverage support.

There are two predictions I have seen that I find interesting regarding the transition. The first is that Anthony Hitchens is all but guaranteed the middle linebacker spot, and the second is that Reggie Ragland won’t fit in the defense.

Steve Spagnuolo has had bigger and slower middle linebackers in his defense. Longtime Ram James Laurinaitis played inside for Spagnuolo, and Curtis Lofton was inside for the Saints under Spagnuolo. It would not be a stretch to find Ragland in the middle of the Chiefs defense, and that could be a good thing.

Anthony Hitchens is a good football player, but his most productive times came as an outside linebacker in a 4-3. Once again, the versatility of the Chiefs defenders is a good thing. We could see a base linebacker package of Houston-Ragland-Hitchens that transforms into a smaller set of O’Daniel-Hitchens while Houston plays with his hand in the dirt in a 5-2 look. From that formation, you could see Houston or Ford drop back into coverage.

The Chiefs secondary will need to improve, which was true regardless of scheme. However, a switch to a zone-based coverage should benefit the secondary as a whole. It is worth noting that Kendall Fuller has experience playing in a zone-heavy scheme in Washington. Eric Berry, if healthy, should have no problem with the transition. Additionally, Charvarius Ward spent the preseason with the Dallas Cowboys who also run a zone-based defense.

There should be plenty of optimism in the Chiefs Kingdom regarding the transition to a 4-3 defense. That said, there are still spots that need to be filled in the roster. Let’s look at free agency and the draft.