KC Chiefs’ 2023 Linebacker Group Deserves All the Praise

Even with Nick Bolton banged up, the Chiefs' current group of linebackers has stepped up big-time so far this season.

If the Kansas City Chiefs could look into a crystal ball back in February and see that they'd be without Nick Bolton for a large chunk of the ensuing campaign, it would feel like a massive blow to Steve Spagnuolo's defense. On the contrary, even with the third-year man missing several of the team's first nine games this season, the rest of the linebacker unit has stepped up in a major way.

Kansas City's offseason signing of Drue Tranquill is paying off, as is the development of veteran Willie Gay Jr. and 2022 draft pick Leo Chenal. The club's combination of experience, versatility and athleticism at the second level has allowed Spagnuolo to unleash the most advanced version of his defense yet. The result is a resounding success story, with the linebackers playing a significant role in that. Bolton is still on the shelf coming out of the bye — should the Chiefs still feel confident in their current group to weather the storm as more serious challenges pop up on the schedule? 

Joshua Brisco and Jordan Foote start an Arrowhead Report discussion to assess where Kansas City is at with the position as the season passes its midpoint.

Biggest success

Foote: There are a lot of ways to go as far as Chiefs linebacker successes are concerned. Tranquill is my pick here. The fifth-year man was a bit of a luxury free agent signing but has since turned into a necessity with Bolton injured. In nine games, Tranquill has 25 Pro Football Focus 'stops,' which ranks first on the team by a comfortable margin. His blend of coverage versatility, high-end athleticism and ability to pick up Spagnuolo's defense quickly and help lead it is a tremendous combination. Tranquill is an underrated hero for the 2023 Chiefs' defense. 

Brisco: Tranquill is absolutely the biggest win for this group, and as you alluded to, one of the biggest success stories of this entire Chiefs team in 2023. Not only has Tranquill simply played good football, he's also conducted the KC defense superbly. Part of Bolton's appeal is in his intangibles — an ability to process and communicate at super-speed, something Spagnuolo covets — but the KC D hasn't missed a beat with Tranquill as the defensive signal-caller. As the defense settles in with a year and a half of game time under their belts after the pre-2022 reset, Tranquill has stepped in as a newcomer and has continued to allow the Chiefs' defense to be just as creative and tricky as it was with Bolton.

Biggest shortcoming

Foote: Continuing along the Bolton injury path, the Chiefs simply haven't had a crazy sample size of what the defense looks like with a completely healthy linebacker room. Bolton has played in less than half of Kansas City's games this year, and he's suffered an injury in two of them. Simply put, the team is lucky that the trio of Tranquill, Gay and Chenal has performed so well in his absence. Nitpicking an injury-related development as a "shortcoming" is a testament to how good the linebacker play has been this year for the most part. 

Brisco: I'm with you again here; Tranquill, Gay and Chenal all have arguments for the "biggest success" category, and I'm not going to slight an NFL linebacker for dislocating his wrist tackling Keenan Allen. Taking a page out of our defensive tackle evaluation, there's some cause for concern in the long-term plan despite how excellent this season has been. It's at least worth noting that Tranquill and Gay are both free agents after this season, when Bolton will be entering the final year of his rookie deal. The Chiefs will need to decide if they're willing to pay to keep this group together, or if this will be the peak of KC's modern linebacking era before more substantial retooling next offseason.

Biggest question(s) remaining this season

Foote: Is the playmaking version of Gay here to stay? Despite seeing a bit of a downswing in his playing time over the last month, he's making the most of his reps. In a combined 123 snaps in four games, he has 18 tackles (two for loss), two fumble recoveries, two quarterback hits, a sack and a forced fumble. Additionally, he's logged nine 'stops' during that span as well while being one of the defense's highest-graded players. Gay's level of play is peaking at the right time during a contract year and if he can sustain it, he'll remain a serious weapon until Bolton returns to play. 

Brisco: Piggybacking off your questions about Gay's usage: What happens when Nick Bolton comes back? When Bolton returned against the Broncos in Week 6, he took 88.5% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps. In Week 7, he played almost 75%, with most of those missed snaps following his injury. (By my unofficial math, he missed 11 defensive snaps after the injury, meaning he missed just five snaps before being hurt.) Tranquill played 36.5% and 46% of those games' snaps, respectively. Tranquill deserves to be treated as a full-time starter, and Gay is a legitimate force and has earned significant playing time. Chenal will most likely see a reduction in his usage after Bolton's return, but he isn't playing a typical Bolton-sized role. It's a good problem, but still one Spagnulo and linebackers coach Brendan Daly will have to solve.

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