Anthony Hitchens one of 3 former Cowboys seeking 2nd straight Chiefs title
The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, and that means three former Dallas defenders have yet another chance to reach the sports pinnacle.
Linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson, along with cornerback Charvarius Ward, all began their careers with the Cowboys, and all three are thriving after a change of scenery landed them in Kansas City.
Hitchens was the most memorable Cowboy of the bunch, as he was an integral part of the Dallas defense for his first four seasons. A prospect from Iowa, the Cowboys selected Hitchens in the fourth round in 2014. He spoke fondly of his old team this week during Super Bowl media sessions, stating the following.
“Every path I took shaped me to who I am today. There’s no knock on Dallas or anything like that. My four years there were amazing. I had an amazing coach, coach “Flus” (Matt Eberflus) coached me, and pushed me to limits I never thought I could reach.”
Hitchens would elaborate on his influences from his time in Dallas,
“I learned how to go beyond my limits because of how we (Dallas) practiced out there. It shaped me. I had great leadership. I had Sean Lee next to me, teaching me the ropes. A lot of young guys don’t get that. So there were a lot of things that shaped me into who I am today.”
Despite it being the beginning of his career, a lot was asked of Hitchens from the moment he stepped in Dallas. The former Hawkeye started 11 games a rookie for the Cowboys, and would go on to start 48 of the teams’ 64 games during his time with the club.
Hitchens hit the open market as the Cowboys had their guys at the position with Jaylon Smith, Sean Lee, and Leighton Vander Esch, but the Cowboys would have likely kept Hitchens had they predicted the injury problems that would plague the three backers they kept.
In his first season away from Dallas, Hitchens led the Chiefs in tackles, and the team was just a play away from making the Super Bowl. The next two seasons Kansas City reached the Super Bowl, and Hitchens would finish second in tackles on the team both years.
After playing beside Hitchens in Dallas, Wilson joined Hitchens in Kansas City in 2019, and immediately showed he was capable of a larger role than the Cowboys ever gave him. Wilson finished third in tackles on the Chiefs each of the last two seasons, and both he and Hitchens started every game that they were available.
Ward was less known as a Cowboy than Wilson and Hitchens, but just like the other two, he has found his niche with the new club. Ward was undrafted in 2018, but signed a three-year deal with Dallas. Just before the season began, the Cowboys traded Ward to the Chiefs in exchange for guard Parker Ehinger.
Three years later, and Ward has developed into a solid starting cornerback on an extremely cheap deal for the Chiefs, something the Cowboys could greatly use given their current roster circumstances. Ehinger retired due to injuries.
These former Cowboys take the field this weekend and attempt to help the Chiefs become just the eighth team to win back-to-back NFL Championships.
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