How The Kansas City Chiefs Will Try To Replace Willie Gay

Following the suspension of linebacker Willie Homosexual Jr., the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs should change their second-leading tackler and one of many protection’s most athletic gamers.

“It’s been subsequent man up,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton mentioned.

That subsequent man is probably going Darius Harris, in line with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

Harris lacks a lot of an NFL resume, however the Chiefs had an inkling that Homosexual could be suspended and had time to arrange. So they need to see one thing in Harris.

If nothing else, Harris is well-versed in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme.

An undrafted free agent out of Center Tennessee, the 26-year-old linebacker has been with the Chiefs since 2019.

He spent the primary season on injured reserve, recovering from a shoulder harm and many of the subsequent two seasons on the observe squad, although he began two video games in 2020.

“He type of is aware of every thing. He’s a pointy child,” Reid mentioned. “He’s robust, has an excellent idea of the protection.”

However the 6-2, 232-pound linebacker has huge sneakers to fill.

Homosexual comes off top-of-the-line video games of his profession. Whereas on the sector for 92% of the defensive snaps in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers, he was all over the place.

Homosexual led the Chiefs with 11 tackles and two passes defended.

These 11 tackles included two tackles for loss, which illustrated his athletic capacity and instincts.

On a 2nd and 10 with 7:30 left within the first quarter, he completely learn a display screen play and tackled working again Austin Ekeler for a three-yard loss.

On the Chargers’ subsequent possession, they tried some trickery with a throw again from DeAndre Carter to Ekeler, however Homosexual snuffed it out, leading to a four-yard loss.

Off the sector, Homosexual has had extra points. He was arrested in January after visiting his son. He bought into an argument with the kid’s mom, who referred to as police after he broken her house.

Homosexual has one thing of a violent monitor document. Whereas in faculty at Mississippi State, he reportedly fought his quarterback Garrett Shrader, who broke his orbital bone, previous to the 2019 Music Metropolis Bowl (earlier than Homosexual recorded a team-high 11 tackles and a pressured fumble in the course of the bowl recreation).

He agreed to go to psychological well being counseling in June, following the incident together with his son’s mom.

“Clearly, the entire state of affairs was a nasty state of affairs that we don’t wish to occur,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes mentioned. “However on the identical time, we love Willie as a man and we would like him to return again in and nonetheless be an ideal a part of this group.”

Homosexual is in third yr of his four-year, $5.3 million rookie contract, and his play has been worthy of an extension, although the Chiefs will doubtless consider his off-the-field conduct that resulted within the NFL’s four-game suspension.

Harris, in the meantime, is in a contract yr. His one yr, $895,000 deal expires after the 2022 season. So he has a possibility to showcase his defensive skills and earn a increase with the Chiefs or one other group.

Up to now he’s primarily been a particular groups participant.

Whereas Homosexual was on the sector for 69 defensive snaps final week, Harris performed simply three, although he was concerned in 53% of the particular groups performs.

Rookie Leo Chenal has performed 32 of 137 defensive snaps this season — third most on the group at linebacker — and had two tackles and quarterback hit in opposition to the Chargers, however Reid indicated that they needed to maintain him as a backup of their two-linebacker bundle.

Harris bought some beneficial expertise off the bench, taking part in 15 defensive snaps due to the Week One, 44-21 blowout in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals, which the Chiefs led 37-7 going into the fourth quarter.

Harris and the remainder of the linebackers shall be integral in opposition to the Indianapolis Colts. Although the Colts are winless, they’ve final yr’s main rusher, Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 1,811 yards final yr.

“He’s particular, an elite working again on this league,” Bolton mentioned. “When the ball is in his palms, he can get north and south fast.”

Bolton praised Harris’ vitality however mentioned will probably be a gaggle effort to fill Homosexual’s void.

“It comes right down to the opposite 10 guys, rallying round D Harris,” Bolton mentioned. “We’ve bought to verify we’re flying to the ball, (that) we’ve bought 11 hats to the ball always, so it’s not simply him making the performs.”