4 defensive breakout candidates for Kansas City Chiefs training camp
Reggie Ragland
Reggie Ragland has experienced a similar, albeit less so, time as the focal point of Chiefs’ fans’ ire. Among Brett Veach’s first moves as General Manager for the Chiefs, Ragland was viewed as an extremely cheap pickup at the time. A player with his pedigree, an alumni of the Crimson Tide defensive factory and former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, for only a fourth round pick looked like a steal.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t really worked out that way. While Ragland’s first year with the team was promising, with quality play on top of some bone crushing hits, his second season with the team was a major letdown. Not only did he suffer from some nagging injuries, but from appearances he seemed to gain weight and his play suffered as a result. It wasn’t until the end of the season where he finally started to show some life, making some key plays down the stretch for the defense.
Similarly to Hitchens, Chiefs’ fans have a number of reasons to expect a positive improvement from Ragland in 2019. Like Hitchens, Ragland should see a return to productivity with the new scheme. There’s no question he has the talent. Like Hitchens, he should see an improvement in technique and preparedness with coaching from Matt House.
Yet, the most probable reason Ragland could see an improvement in 2019 is the talent accrued along the defensive line. The Chiefs’ front office has done an incredible job not just building the starting unit, but the backup unit as well. The talent and depth at the defensive line should help to keep blockers off Ragland in the middle of the field. With his thumper mentality and aggressiveness, along with the aforementioned change in schematic tendencies and coaching, there’s no doubt he will improve.
The main caveat to Ragland is the uncertainty around his starting position. While the rumors are that he will begin training camp as the starting middle linebacker, it’s hard to say whether he will maintain this position throughout the season.
What’s more, given Ragland’s size and difficulty in coverage it’s unlikely the team would utilize him in a large percentage of their subpackages. It’s more likely they will opt for the smaller, speedier linebackers in the group for those situations, diminishing Ragland’s capacity to make an impact this season. Training camp should give fans a good understanding of what to expect of Ragland’s contribution in 2019.