Chiefs 32-Game Starter ‘Facing Pressure’ After Offseason Additions

Getty Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. ahead of the Super Bowl in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs are not averse to letting players walk in free agency, so it’s good practice to monitor KC veterans that are entering contract years.

One 2024 Chiefs free agent that could be “facing pressure” this season is fourth-year linebacker Willie Gay Jr. according to USA Today Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman. “Entering a contract year, no player has more pressure to succeed in Kansas City [than Gay],” the KC media member voiced on July 14.

“Not only did the Chiefs invest a high draft choice in Leo Chenal a season ago, but they added Drue Tranquill in free agency this offseason,” Goldman went on. “Gay Jr. has consistently been a force for the team during training camp, but for whatever reason he’s fizzled a bit during the regular season. Just last season, the defensive coaching staff took him off the field for Darius Harris in sub-packages where many believed his skillset should have prospered.”

Based on the looming presence of Chenal and Tranquill in 2023, all of this led Goldman to conclude that “whether his future is in Kansas City or elsewhere, Gay Jr. must hit the ground running this year.”

Chiefs LB2/LB3 Battle Starring Willie Gay Jr. & Drue Tranquill Highlighted as Key Camp Competition in 2023

Nick Bolton is the unquestioned centerpiece of the Chiefs linebacker core, both literally and figuratively. He’s one of the rising stars of this league, and he should be at the heart of the Kansas City defense for years to come.

Outside of Bolton, it’s a free-for-all heading into 2023 training camp. The Chiefs are stacked at linebacker and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is hoping competition breeds excellence.

Gay should open up as the No. 2 option behind Bolton, but his declining ability in pass coverage makes him a shaky full-time starter in a nickel-heavy league. Arrowhead Pride’s Price Carter discussed this intriguing camp battle on July 15, ranking it in the top two for KC position units this summer.

“It’s not hyperbole to say that Kansas City might have one of the league’s best linebacker groups — if not the best group,” the analyst wrote. “This obviously starts with third-year player Nick Bolton, who played 99% of defensive snaps in 2022 as the team’s MIKE linebacker. His role will likely be much the same in 2023 — although the Chiefs might like to get him off the field a little more often.”

Continuing: “Willie Gay Jr. continues to be an athletic freak who sometimes seems to struggle with the mental aspect of the game. Unfortunately, his impact plays can be both positive and negative.”

Carter believes Tranquill and Chenal are most likely to push Gay for snaps, although he did note a dark horse that he likened to Bolton as a prospect.

“The team brought veteran Drue Tranquill over from the Los Angeles Chargers, bringing something the linebacker corps really needed: pass coverage skills,” he detailed. “While Gay logged the second-most linebacker snaps last season, he’s going to have to fend off Tranquill for those in 2023.”

“Second-year player Leo Chenal is a hammer looking for a nail in the running game,” Carter went on. “If he can develop a similar ability defending against the pass, he’ll also be pushing for playing time.”

Finally, the dark horse. “Don’t count out undrafted free agent Isaiah Moore, either,” he relayed. “Many viewed him as a Day 3 prospect with traits like Bolton.”

Chiefs Will Have Decisions to Make at Linebacker in 2023 & 2024

Based on all the analysis and the knowledge that all of us have watching the Chiefs, it’s easy to see a path where Gay is minimized in 2023.

Let’s say Tranquill lives up to the hype in pass coverage and Chenal continues to punish ball carriers in the run game, where does that leave Gay? Most likely, as an early-down weakside linebacker that comes off the field in pass-heavy sets.

That’s not a player a franchise jumps to re-sign. Having said that, Tranquill’s one-year deal throws a wrench in things slightly — being that he could walk for more money next spring depending on how things go in KC.

It’s a fascinating situation, and it sets up crucial decisions for general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid both this summer and in 2024.

Will the Chiefs try and hold onto a potential long-term piece like Moore at the roster cutdown, for example? What will become of 2022 UDFA and core special teamer Jack Cochrane? Will either Gay or Tranquill get an extension before the year is out?

Kansas City has built a very deep linebacker core, but it may not stay that way forever. What happens over the next several months should shape this unit in 2024 and beyond.