7 Kansas City Chiefs in danger of losing their jobs after 2019 NFL Draft

Reggie Ragland OR Damien Wilson- Starting Linebacker

Another major topic which has gotten a lot of volume during the offseason is who the starting linebackers for the Chiefs will be. The team’s base defense, which they likely won’t run more than 30 percent of the time, is expected to feature a 4-3 under look and there are some questions about the current personnel.

The most talked about combination thus far has been Damien Wilson at Sam, Reggie Ragland at Mike, and Anthony Hitchens at Will. This is more than likely due to the experience factor than the talent factor. One could argue a better fit and likely more athletic trio would be Wilson at Sam, Anthony Hitchens at Mike, and Dorian O’Daniel at Will.

Either way, there are two players in these options who are at risk for losing their starting spot following the NFL Draft. To start with, Ragland was traded from the Buffalo Bills because he wasn’t a great fit in the team’s 4-3 scheme. You could argue that players are rarely successful in Buffalo, and you’d be right more often than not. It still remains that Ragland struggled last year and it’s doubtful a scheme change will make things easier on him.

Wilson is in a similar boat. The Dallas Cowboys chose not to retain him after only making a handful of starts for them over the last several years. The Chiefs, in turn, signed him to a team-friendly deal based almost completely on incentives. The sentiment going into team activities is that he will have a shot at the starting spot.

Regardless of the current sentiment, it’s clear the Chiefs are looking to upgrade this unit through the NFL Draft or after by bringing in undrafted players. They have reportedly had visits with Emeke Egbule, Sione Takitaki and Cole Holcomb. If the Chiefs choose to use a mid-round pick on a linebacker, it’s likely this player will have a shot at overtaking either Ragland’s or Wilson’s starting spot.