Rating the Kansas City Chiefs roster needs prior to free agency

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 06: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs stands with his offensive unit teammates in the tunnel before being introduced prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium on October 6, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: Anthony Hitchens #53 of the Kansas City Chiefs is introduced prior to the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Linebacker

Players currently under contract:
Anthony Hitchens
Damien Wilson
Ben Niemann
Dorian O’Daniel
Darius Harris
Emmanuel Smith

Need for a starter: 10
Need for depth: 3

While Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, and Ben Niemann played a lot of the snaps at linebacker in the Super Bowl, I still believe the Chiefs need to add a starter at the position. That is partly because Reggie Ragland is set to become a free agent and partly because linebacker was by far the weakest position on the defense last season. The Chiefs linebackers were basically just good enough to get by and the Chiefs need to aim for more than that.

I actually think they have some decent depth with guys like Niemann, Dorian O’Daniel, and Darius Harris if they had another quality starting linebacker. I think adding one upgrade at starting linebacker would be enough for this group this offseason.

Now let’s move to the secondary.

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