Chiefs rookie review: Draft class comes up big against Texans
Willie Gay Jr.
Perhaps the biggest question mark, and maybe the only one, of the Chiefs rookie contributors on Thursday was the impact made by linebacker Willie Gay, Jr. Make that a lack of impact. Gay played some special teams rep in the first contest of the season, but he did not receive a single defensive snap.
This is not only surprising but also quite concerning. This summer we heard both Veach, head coach Andy Reid, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talk about how fast and talented Gay was. We heard media describe him as a great draft pick and excellent linebacker—some even said he was already the best linebacker on the team. Yet not one snap.
The most frustrating part of the second round pick’s lack of presence on Thursday was that the team desperately needs his speed and athleticism at the linebacker position. The corps was the clear weakness of an otherwise sound defensive effort, as they struggled not only to stop the run but, even more glaringly, to cover pass catchers out of the backfield and off the line of scrimmage. Ben Niemann, most notably, was outmatched and the fact that the team did not see fit to put in Gay means he’s not up to speed on the playbook or they think he is worse. Neither is good news.