For the fourth straight year, I’m considering the 10 biggest questions I have for the Kansas City Chiefs for 2026.
My first question centered around the offensive tackles. Now, let’s talk about the linebackers:
An underrated advantage of the Chiefs’ defense over the past four years has been the ability to play three good linebackers simultaneously.
Recent history of Chiefs linebackers
For years, Kansas City has poured draft resources into finding good linebacker play. Over the course of three drafts, the Chiefs used two second-round picks
on Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton, along with a third-round pick on Leo Chenal.
By 2022, the Chiefs had assembled one of the league’s highest-quality linebacker corps. Those three drafted players found good synergy with each other. Gay had the explosiveness and athleticism to play well sideline to sideline and in space. Chenal was the hammerhead that could take on blocks and eat space. Bolton was the complementary middle linebacker to those two players with his intelligence and reliable tackling in the run game.
Kansas City’s linebacker room really found its groove in 2023 once Drue Tranquill was added to the mix. That year’s defense was special for many reasons, including the cornerback play and the presence of defensive tackle Chris Jones in his prime, but the linebackers made an underrated impact on that defense.
All three of the young guys understood the defense inside and out, which allowed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to vary his fronts. Gay and Chenal, in particular, thrived in this context, where they were allowed to blitz and play more on the line of scrimmage.
Tranquill was the perfect addition to that group as well. Tranquill was good at blitzing, but also had more coverage versatility than Chenal and Gay.
After the 2023 season, Gay left in free agency but continued to do a good job maximizing the trio of Bolton, Tranquill and Chenal over the next two seasons.
Chenal was important to unlocking different fronts because he could play head-up over an offensive lineman and occupy a gap. Tranquill continued to be a productive player and Bolton continued ascending and rounding out weaknesses in his game.
Can the Chiefs’ linebackers continue as a strength of the team without Chenal?
Unfortunately, this offseason brought the departure of Chenal. Chenal had his limitations and will likely never be a good three-down linebacker. I can understand how the Chiefs arrived at the feeling that paying Chenal for a part-time role wasn’t the best use of their salary cap space.
However, I do think the Chiefs will lose an important skill set within their defense.
Most teams do not have three good linebackers, let alone one or two. The Chiefs’ defense was unique in its ability to match teams with its “Base” defense and still have good defenders, especially against the run. Chenal played a massive part in that. He was a chess piece that helped counter the opposing team’s run game.
Having the ability to play base defense was huge in the Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers and in the preceding win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. The only team that could truly exploit the Chiefs’ base defense was the Buffalo Bills, mainly due to quarterback Josh Allen’s impact in the run game. Against 30 other teams, having the ability to play base defense was a critical and unique asset.
I figured the Chiefs would address linebacker in the 2026 NFL Draft, particularly because it was a deep class at the position. I didn’t expect a top-100 pick to be used on a linebacker, but I thought it was possible around the fourth round. The position went unaddressed entirely.
On the current roster, there are four guys who are likely going to compete for that third linebacker spot: Jeffrey Bassa, Cooper McDonald, Jack Cochrane, and Cole Christiansen.
If the Chiefs are looking for a direct Chenal replacement, I believe Bassa would be the best choice. Bassa is around 20 pounds lighter than Chenal and, generally, is not as strong when taking on blocks. However, the two are comparable in length and explosive downhill speed. Bassa is willing to scream downhill and hit, which Chenal was obviously comfortable doing. Bassa is stiff and not good in coverage, but Chenal also wasn’t good in coverage. As a third linebacker, he could be an ideal fit in a limited role.
However, the best overall linebacker of the four might be Cochrane. I’ve liked Cochrane for a few years. He’s on the smaller side and limited versus the run, but he is good in coverage. Cochrane’s a good athlete who moves well in space. He’s not a good fit in Chenal’s direct role, but I could see him being a dependable piece to the defense in coverage.
There’s a chance that there are multiple linebackers who fill the Chenal void, and Spagnuolo is familiar with coaching a defense with four playable linebackers. For example, when teams go heavy on personnel and the Chiefs match with base, I could see Bassa as the third linebacker. However, if one of Bolton or Tranquill gets hurt, Cochrane is more suited to play snaps.
As important as Chenal was to the defense, the Chiefs would play base defense on only about one-third of snaps. It wasn’t something that affected the majority of snaps. Still, it’s important to be able to play effective base defense, especially as teams are transitioning to using more tight ends and heavier personnel.
Linebacker depth matters more in case one of Tranquill or Bolton gets hurt. The Chiefs have had good depth for years, but it’s in question for this season.
Who’s going to be the Chiefs’ third linebacker? Will it be one player or multiple? If one of Tranquill or Bolton gets hurt, who would be the next linebacker to play? And if either of those two gets hurt, can the Chiefs survive on defense?
Do you have any answers to these questions? Do you have more questions about the linebackers? Let us know in the comments.
