The Kansas City Chiefs will have a new starting linebacker on the field when the 2026 season kicks off this September. While the Chiefs return starters Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency and has left the Chiefs looking for a new starting SAM (strongside) linebacker. Many people believed the Chiefs would add a linebacker during the draft or free agency, but at this point it looks as if the Chiefs will fill the opening with a player already on the roster.
With a starting linebacker spot now open, many fans have assumed that 2025 fifth-round pick Jeffrey Bassa is the logical player to fill that opening. All of the Chiefs' other main reserve linebackers (Jack Cochrane, Cole Christiansen, Cooper McDonald, and Ethan Downs) are former undrafted players with less of a pedigree than Bassa. The problem with this assumption is that it treats all of the linebacker spots the same, and if one is open, you just slide the most talented player with "LB" under the position tab into that opening.
Not all LB positions are the same
At the risk of oversimplifying, the three traditional linebacker spots break down like this:
SAM: The strong-side linebacker that frequently lines up over the tight end and has a much higher percentage of plays where they have to set the edge against the run and must take on blockers head-on and shed them to make tackles.
MIKE: The middle linebacker that calls the defense and has to have the best recognition skills of the group so that they can either fill the correct gap where a run play is coming or drop into coverage.
WILL: The weak-side linebacker that usually has the most space to roam and chase ball carriers sideline to sideline since they typically line up on the opposite side of the tight end. They also typically need to be the most comfortable dropping into coverage.
Why Bassa might not replace Chenal
The Chiefs' opening is at the SAM position, where Chenal was a physical monster who excelled at taking on blocks. So much so that, at times, Steve Spagnuolo was comfortable lining him up as an extra defensive lineman. The problem with projecting Bassa as Chenal's replacement is that most experts agree that his skill set is best suited for the WILL linebacker spot. In other words, he's at the opposite end of the linebacker spectrum from Chenal.
That's not to say that Bassa isn't physically gifted; his gifts are just more suited to working in space as opposed to wrestling with big bodies in the trenches. Bassa actually entered college as a safety, and while he played the middle linebacker spot for Oregon, that had more to do with his leadership than his physical style, which is why he projected to the WILL spot in the NFL.
The most likely option to play the SAM if the season started today would be former undrafted rookie Cooper McDonald. In McDonald's limited reps last season, he looked better suited for the run-stuffing, physical part of the position than Bassa did. Again, not that Bassa didn't flash upside, but he looks like he could be more of a fit for Tranquill's WILL position, where he could even potentially upgrade the athleticism and coverage skills at the position.
It seems unlikely that Steve Spagnuolo will bench Drue Tranquill for Bassa this season. Spags loves his vets who know his system and will be where they are supposed to be. However, Tranquill will turn 31 before the season starts and will be a free agent after this season. So if Bassa doesn't get the job replacing Chenal at the SAM linebacker spot, it doesn't mean he doesn't have a future with the team.
What to watch at Chiefs camp
Another thing to keep an eye on will be how Spagnuolo deploys rookie R Mason Thomas. The speed edge prospect doesn't fit the mold for what Spags typically likes at defensive end on early downs to set the edge, so could it be possible that Thomas takes a few snaps here and there as a SAM linebacker? I don't think that would be a regular occurrence, but Spags does like to use guys in multiple ways to keep offenses guessing from down to down.
So when training camp kicks off next month, pay attention to which linebackers the Chiefs are trying in which spots, and remember that not all linebacker positions are created equally. Just because the Chiefs may not like one linebacker in one spot doesn't mean they may not have plans for him at another spot. That could certainly be the case for Jeffrey Bassa.
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