CHIEFS CAMP CHOICES: The LBs

Laddie Morse

You could say I have had a love affair with the Chiefs Linebackers over the years. However, this may be the best “group” of LBs the Chiefs have had since Super Bowl IV when they fielded: Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, Jim Lynch and more. It’s hard not to love what you see when you examine the Chiefs current crew of Nick Bolton, Willie Gay, Leo Chenal, Drue Tranquill, Jack Cochrane, Cole Christiansen, Isaiah Moore, and Cam Jones (0:39).

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You might be saying to yourself, “ I’ve never heard of half these guys” but I certainly doubt you’ll be able to claim ignorance by camp’s end.

Nick Bolton

Yes, I’m president of the “Nick Got Robbed of an MVP Trophy” club when it comes to the Chiefs most recent Super Bowl victory. Bolton ended up with 9 total tackles to lead all tacklers in the game.

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TuchDownWire’s Doug Farrar wrote about Bolton’s 2022 season:

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“Bolton had two sacks, five quarterback hits, five quarterback hurries, 142 solo tackles, 61 stops, and he allowed 76 catches on 83 targets for 673 yards, 457 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 94.4.“

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Every great sled-dog team need a great leader and that exactly what the Chiefs have in Nick Bolton.

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Willie Gay

Athletic, speedy and twitchy, right-place-right-time… I have too many superlatives to describe Gay (0:06).

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Gay is still an emerging play but my fear is… he’ll end up playing for someone else after the 2023 season if Veach and Gay’s representation can’t come to a resolution by that time.

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Leo Chenal

Mark Van Sickle of SI.com wrote a piece called, “Can Leo Chenal Improve in Year Two Despite KC Chiefs’ Crowded LB Room?” in which he said,

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“The jump to the NFL level didn’t seem to phase Chenal at all. He’s a strong and powerful player, and his physicality continued to be showcased as the season went along. He plays with good quickness and has a nose for the football. Chenal finished his rookie regular season with 35 total tackles and one sack.”

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Jack Cochrane

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Cochrane was a UDFA for the Chiefs in 2022 and played on 262 — or 65% — of the Chiefs Special Team’s Snaps. I expect Cochrane to step up and take some Defensive team snpas this year and not be relegated to Special Teams only. In an artiic for SI.com Jordon Foote wrote a piece called: “Steve Spagnuolo Addresses Progress of KC Chiefs’ Young Defensive Players” in which he quoted Spags as saying:

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“You can just ask them, Trent (McDuffie) included, right? The five of them — NJ [Nazeeh Johnson] is out there doing a great job. I sat with them or was somewhere with them a week ago and they’re like lightyears ahead. They feel it and it’s different and they’re confident. The first day that we went out there for a walkthrough, the communication and the talking – now, I’m including Justin Reid in that because last year was all new for him, too, even though he was a vet the system was new. And those guys just from a verbal and being kind of tied in from that standpoint, they were just jelling.”

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“Improved communication”… which includes Nazeeh Johnson specifically would include Jack Cochran non-specifically.

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Cole Christiansen

Cole Christian spent his first two seasons as a UDFA, in 2020, in L.A. but signed with K.C. in September of last year. He average 56 snaps on special teams in his first two seasons. He is 6-foot-1, 230 lbs. and I don’t think we can expect more than a few extra STs snaps.

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Drue Tranquill

I big fish in this free agency season for the Chief, was Drue Tranquill. Many will say it is Charles Omenihu or Jawaan Taylor, but both of those players were signed to replace someone specifically. Tranquill only makes the Chiefs LB core better. Much better. Tranquill led all Charger defender in Tackles with 127, and is very good in coverage. While he’s not here to replace anyone specifically, I could see K.C. letting Willie Gay go in deference to him (0:19).

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Isaiah Moore

Moore is a 6-foot-2, 234 lbs. LB out of NC State who was signed by Veach earlier this offseason, when eh went undrafted. From the Wolfpacker comes this about Moore:

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“I owe a tremendous amount of my success to NC State.” In addition to his impressive tackle total, he racked up 43.5 career tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and 11 passed defended. Moore showcased his athleticism at NC State’s pro day, impressing scouts with a 40-yard-dash in the 4.6’s, according to Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network. He also reportedly finished the 3-cone drill in 7.04 seconds and completed the short shuttle in times varying from 4.38 to 4.44 seconds. After missing part of the 2021 season due to a knee injury, he was determined to show off his athleticism to scouts during the pre-draft process.”

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Cam Jones

NFLDraftNetwork.com has this to share about Cam Jones:

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“Indiana linebacker Cam Jones projects as a physical, run-defending linebacker at the NFL level. Jones has an NFL build, plus length, and some explosive hitting power—which he unleashed in a breakout 2022 before a foot injury ended his season at the midway point. Jones is one of just a handful of Hoosiers to be honored as a three-time captain and figures to be an excellent addition to any NFL locker room that welcomes him from an intangibles and character standpoint.”

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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