4 defensive breakout candidates for Kansas City Chiefs training camp
With Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp quickly approaching, who are the primary breakout candidates to watch for on defense heading into the 2019 season?
After an abysmal season on defense in 2018, the worst in recent memory, the Kansas City Chiefs’ front office seemingly turned over the entire team on that side of the ball. With long-time defensive coordinator Bob Sutton being shown the door, multiple starting veterans either traded or cut, and a brand new scheme this Chiefs’ defense is going to have a completely new look going into the 2019 season.
Needless to say, fans are excited and a bit nervous. Change is always scary, even if it’s for the best. No one can tell the future, so it’s difficult to know what to expect from this Chiefs’ defense going into training camp. That being said, the Chiefs’ defense now has an all-star staff coupled with stars and ascending players acquired through trade and free agency. I’d say things are looking up.
So, with training camp for the Chiefs right around the corner who are the primary candidates on defense to watch? More specifically, who can we expect to have a breakout year in 2019 and why?
Anthony Hitchens
Anthony Hitchens is somewhat of a sore spot for many Chiefs’ fans. He was a major signing last offseason, to the tune of 5 years $45 million, and hasn’t seemed to measure up to that contract. The Chiefs are still on the hook for him, in terms of guaranteed money, in 2019 but could conceivably move on in 2020, albeit with some dead cap, if he doesn’t improve. Fortunately for Hitchens, there are some positive indicators in his favor.
Hitchens was one of the latest victims at linebacker of the Bob Sutton defense. Sutton began his career with the Chiefs trending in a positive direction, but once the tide turned toward terrible defenses there was seemingly nothing he could do to correct course. The factor that we have heard many times at this point is that Sutton’s defense, especially with regards to the linebackers, required a lot of mental processing. In football, mental processing at the expense of instinct usually leads to poor outcomes.
Luckily, where Sutton was conservative and process oriented, all analysis and reports on Steve Spagnuolo as a defensive coordinator point toward aggressiveness and instinct as paramount to his defenses. Also consider the addition of Matt House, one of the best defensive coordinators in college football from a year ago who has developed numerous NFL players including Aaron Donald, and it’s likely the linebacker group as a whole will see a significant bump in play.
If that doesn’t convince you, consider this. The reason that Hitchens received the contract he did was because from all appearances he was an ascending player. Playing in the Dallas Cowboys’ 4-3 defense, according to Pro Football Focus, Hitchens improved every single season over a four-year span. In fact, in his final season with the Cowboys he graded ‘Good’ in run defense and tackling and even graded ‘Above Average’ in coverage, something that often made Chiefs’ fans nervous last season.
These aren’t the only reasons to expect a bounce back from Hitchens, but they are the most prominent. While Hitchens may never be a consistent Pro Bowl caliber linebacker, he has the talent to be a mainstay in the Chiefs’ new 4-3 defensive scheme. What’s more, he finally has the coaching to push his talent over the top. I expect him to have a great training camp going into the 2019 season.