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The Kansas City Chiefs released former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens in a move made to create an estimated $8.3 million in cap space, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Hitchens was a team captain and spent the last four seasons with the Chiefs. The linebacker played a key defensive role in the Chiefs’ two Super Bowl appearances including their title run during the 2019 season.
Hitchens was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. The veteran defender spent his first four NFL seasons with the Cowboys before signing a $45 million deal with the Chiefs in 2018. Hitchens notched 80 tackles, four tackles for loss and one interception in 15 appearances for the Chiefs last season.
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Could There be a Cowboys Reunion for Hitchens?
It did not take long after Hitchens release for there to be some speculation that the Cowboys could look to bring back the linebacker. USA Today’s Jori Epstein pondered whether the Cowboys may pursue Hitchens with Leighton Vander Esch hitting free agency.
“If only there were a team he used to play for, with a first-round LB contract expiring and some former teammates who sure would love to reunite…Former Cowboys LB released after starting 59 games in KC,” Epstein tweeted on February 22.
The Cowboys started 2021 with a plethora of options at linebacker but a mid-season release of Jaylon Smith followed by rookie Jabril Cox sustaining a torn ACL took a hit to the team’s depth at the position. Given Vander Esch’s uncertain future, the Cowboys may suddenly have a need at linebacker. Here is how Cowboys owner Jerry Jones described Hitchens after the team snagged the defender in the 2014 NFL draft.
“We saw a guy who could run with size, and we saw one of the few inside linebackers that we thought could come in here and help us if we lost Sean Lee,” Jones said at the time, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “So we saw a guy who could definitely improve us from where we were last year when we lost Sean Lee. Probably, for me, the most important thing is how much of a hitter he is. He blows them up. So we sat there with him and used a fourth-rounder.”
Chiefs GM: ‘One of the First Moves I Wanted to Make Was to Bring in Anthony Hitchens From Dallas’
The challenge for the Cowboys is whether they can offer a competitive contract to Hitchens despite the team’s history with the linebacker. According to Spotrac, the Cowboys are slated to be more than $21 million over the cap next season. After Hitchens’ release, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach explained that the linebacker was priority No. 1 in building the defense.
“When I first became General Manager, one of the first moves I wanted to make was to bring in Anthony Hitchens from Dallas,” Veach said in a statement. “We knew how intelligent, hard working and consistent he was as a player, and we knew he’d become a selfless leader. He was that and more. He has all the intangibles and was an integral piece in our franchise winning a Super Bowl title. We appreciate everything he’s done for the organization and wish him the best as he continues his career.”
Pro Football Focus has Hitchens’ grade dropping significantly from the 73 he earned with the Cowboys in 2017. Hitchens scored a dismal 44.1 last season with the Chiefs, but this jumped dramatically to 85.4 in the playoffs.
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