What does Damien Wilson bring to the Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Damien Wilson away from the Dallas Cowboys this week. What exactly are they getting?

The Kansas City Chiefs have already made several major moves in the days and hours leading up to the new league year opening, including the release of Justin Houston, the trade of Dee Ford, and the signing of Tyrann Mathieu. However, one smaller move that has largely flown under the radar is the signing of former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damien Wilson.

On Tuesday it was announced that the Chiefs will sign Wilson to a two-year deal once free agency officially begins. Wilson was a role player and special teams performer for the Cowboys, but the Chiefs clearly see potential in him with more playing time.

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Given the uncertainty surrounding Wilson, we asked David Halprin, founder of popular Cowboys site Blogging the Boys, to tell us more about what the Chiefs are getting.

Wilson sounds like he’s being potentially slotted for more response than he ever had in Dallas. Do you think this is a good thing?

It’s hard to say. Wilson always looked the part, but he was “just a guy” in terms of what he did on the field. He never stood out and made plays consistently that made you say this guy has to get more playing time. Serviceable would be a pretty good term for him. He did have games where he showed out but he could never break into a bigger role with the Cowboys.

What does Wilson do best?

He’s a solid tackler who generally gets the ball carrier to the ground when he gets his hands on him. He reads the run pretty well and uses his athleticism to track down the ball carrier. He’s pretty good at rushing the passer and getting into the backfield. Getting him going downhill and into space is where he does his best work. He is also very durable, he’s never hurt and is a great addition to special teams if the Chiefs choose to use him there.

What should the Chiefs never ask him to do?

You probably don’t want him taking on tight ends or slot guys in coverage, especially downfield. He wasn’t asked to do this much in Dallas, his playing time was limited because the Cowboys used the nickel on defense a lot which took him off the field in passing situations (and passing situations are almost always in the NFL nowadays). There was a PFF stat a couple of years ago that had him as elite in pass coverage, but I don’t know of anybody who observed the Cowboys who thought that was his strength.

PFF graded him below average this year. Does that ring true? Any mitigating factors?

I guess you could say that, but I always thought of Wilson as a guy who does an average job in a limited role. When you thought of linebackers in Dallas last year, it was all Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith and to some extent Sean Lee. Wilson just didn’t play a big enough role to the point of analyzing every little thing he did. He just didn’t have a huge impact on how the defense played in any given game. Again, serviceable is the term I would use to describe his career in Dallas, with an uptick when you talked about his special teams play.

Ultimately why did Dallas let him walk?

The Cowboys don’t use their SAM linebacker very often. Wilson only got in on 28% of the Cowboys defensive snaps last year. And as mentioned, there was never enough production to the point of saying we have to keep this guy. Vander Esch, Smith and Lee are going to be the primary linebackers, and Dallas has a few other depth pieces in the rotation. It just didn’t make sense for them to offer much of a contract to keep Wilson. They’ll likely miss him on special teams more than anywhere. Maybe things will change for him if he’s given an expanded role, maybe he will blow up, but at a minimum, you’re getting a guy who is reliable and durable. That’s not nothing in the NFL.