The Kansas City Chiefs seek to replace the production of linebacker Willie Gay Jr. over the stretch of his four-game suspension.
Entering his third year in the league, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. has made a name for himself. His high motor and daunting 4.46 speed have anchored him into an essential starting role, helping to usher in a new era of athletic linebackers for the Kansas City defense.
However, upon the recent news of Gay’s four-game suspension, the Chiefs are preparing to roll ahead without him while attempting to maintain his production on the field. However, the Chiefs currently face a gritty stretch in their schedule with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 and the Buffalo Bills in week 6. Despite the challenge in front of them, the ever-dependable Andy Reid has a plan in place.
A look at Willie Gay’s production
Unsurprisingly, Gay has seldom left the field much to start the year. He was present for 65% of defensive snaps in Week 1 and 92% in Week 2. Over these games, he has accounted for 2 pass breakups, 7 blitzes, 1 QB pressure, 1 QB knockdown, and 16 combined tackles (8 solo tackles and 8 assisted tackles).
While linebacker Nick Bolton leads the team with 20 combined tackles, Gay is currently tied with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed for the second-ranked slot. Admittedly, Gay hasn’t been perfect, even missing 4 tackles to start the year. One thing is certain, however, the Chiefs will be missing out on a highly productive player over the next four weeks.
Who will the Chiefs lean on to replace him?
In a recent press conference, head coach Andy Reid opened his address to the media by touching on who he believes will have the greatest opportunity to replace Gay. When speaking on the vacancy left by Gay’s departure, Reid reported, “Darius Harris can fill in there…we’ve got people to fill in but Darius has a chance to step in there”. The first question asked by the media inquired as to what Harris has shown to be deserving of the new opportunity. Reid responded, “He’s coming off a good preseason. He kind of knows everything, he’s a sharp kid…he’s tough, he’s got a good concept of the defense. So I think he’ll do a nice job. Physically good size.”
Harris is in his third year with the Chiefs and originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent. To start the year, he has mainly been a special teams contributor while only accounting for 18 defensive snaps. He has clearly been limited with his opportunities at linebacker up to this point, though Reid’s confidence should help Chiefs fans’ perception of his stock.
Additionally, the Chiefs will look to rookie Leo Chenal to assist during Gay’s absence. Though facing a restricted snap count, he still ranks third amongst Chiefs linebackers in terms of defensive snaps. Chenal found himself on the field for 18% of defensive plays in Week 1 and 29% in Week 2, accounting for 32 snaps total. Fans have been eager to see him unleashed during the year after being asked what he will bring to the defense. His answer naturally was, “Violence and physicality”. That said, expectations regarding Chenal as a viable plug-in for Gay should remain limited, as he still has a long way to go in terms of developing into a well-rounded and experienced linebacker.
Fellow rookie linebacker Jack Cochrane may also see some time on the field due to his recent activation from the Practice Squad. Cochrane joined the team as an undrafted free agent in May. Though his activation should be viewed more as adding depth rather than viable talent, his addition along with outside linebacker Elijah Lee‘s activation will allow the Chiefs to continue to have 5 linebackers on the roster while Gay deals with his suspension. It is worth noting that Lee hasn’t been on the field much, as he only participated in 14% of defensive snaps in Week 1 and none in Week 2.
It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs coaching staff responds to the temporary loss of an essential piece of their defense. Willie Gay’s production will surely be missed, though it does present an exciting opportunity for a young linebacker corps to showcase their skills. Luckily, the defense still has the ability to rely upon second-year linebacker Nick Bolton, who led the league’s rookies in tackles last season. Bolton has continued his dominance to start the year and will surely offer a safety blanket as the team figures out how to best utilize their linebackers over the coming weeks.