Chiefs free agent outlook: LB Damien Wilson
In the aftermath of Super LV, the Kansas City Chiefs will be tasked with building a roster to get them back to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year. Brett Veach will have a decision to make on a number of unrestricted free agents this season, many of whom contributed to the success of this franchise over the past two seasons. One of those players is linebacker Damien Wilson.
Wilson was one of the earliest free agent signings by the Chiefs during the 2019 free agency period, joining on a two-year contract after spending the first four years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. The 2019 free agency period was when the team began to overhaul their defensive personnel from the 3-4 defensive scheme under Bob Sutton to the 4-3 defensive scheme under Steve Spagnuolo.
Wilson was brought in to play the SAM linebacker spot in the base defense and he’s held the position down in Kansas City for the past two seasons. He started in 29-of-32 possible regular-season games for the Chiefs, recording 154 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles. In addition to his role in the base defense, Wilson plays the BUCK spot in the Chiefs’ big nickel sub-package. In 2020, he also began playing special teams on the punt coverage unit, playing on 19% of the special team’s snaps for the team.
In each of the six postseason games for Kansas City in the past two years, Wilson was a starter. His most impressive performance for the Chiefs might have come in Super Bowl LV. He led the team in tackles with 10 and his goal-line stand on fourth-down might be the most memorable defensive play from that game.
Despite Wilson’s success in Kansas City over the past two years, it’s unlikely that fans will see him back with the Chiefs in 2021. The team drafted LB Willie Gay Jr. in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. While drafting a player isn’t always prohibitive or re-signing another, Gay has been an understudy to Wilson this season, backing him up as both the SAM and BUCK linebacker. It’s pretty clear that Gay’s trajectory has him set to replace Wilson. It also doesn’t hurt that the Chiefs have a stable of linebackers currently under contract for the 2021 NFL season.
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Chiefs news roundup — 2/28/2021
