Chiefs May Have a Sneaky Competition in the Linebacker Room

There's been plenty of shakeup for the Kansas City Chiefs on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, as coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's group has numerous new faces. That applies up front and in the back end of the secondary, but the linebacker corps is largely untouched.

Losing Leo Chenal will spark some change, however, at the SAM spot. Is the heir to that role decided already, or could Kansas City evaluate throughout organized team activities (OTAs) and training camp before sorting out the depth chart?

The answer could be left up to internal development. Kent Swanson, Matt Lane and Matt Hamilton discussed all of that and more on the latest episode of the KC Laboratory podcast on KC Sports Network.

Chiefs' duo of Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill entering final year together?

For the last three seasons, the Chiefs have relied on the linebacker duo of Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill to get the job done at the second level of the defense. That tandem produced this past campaign, as the former pitched in 154 tackles and the latter had 103 to boot.

Could 2026-27 be the last hurrah for this pairing?

Heck, that was almost the case last year. The cash-strapped Chiefs could've moved on from Tranquill during the offseason, but he took a pay cut to remain in Kansas City for his age-31 effort. Without a contract beyond this year, he's slated to be a free agent in the spring.

According to Over The Cap, the team can save $15 million against the cap while incurring just $4.25M in dead money if it parts ways with Bolton next offseason. Losing both players in the same month seems highly unlikely, sure, but there's simultaneously some exciting flexibility but also a scary reality on the horizon.

The Jeffrey Bassa vs. Cooper McDonald dilemma

Back to the aforementioned switch from Chenal to someone else. Although the "starting" SAM linebacker will play less than 50% of available defensive snaps, it remains a key hole to plug on defense. Will the man for the job be Jeffrey Bassa or Cooper McDonald?

In a post-draft projection for Chiefs On SI, McDonald got the nod. He profiles as a more fitting player for the gig due to his run defense and ability to hold up better when closer to the line of scrimmage. What if Bassa, who came into last year's draft around 232 pounds, has either added a bit of weight to his frame or proves to be far superior in coverage?

Swanson made the case that Bassa's route to playing time could be related more to Tranquill than anyone else. Throughout the months of June and July, keep an eye on how the coaching staff speaks of what many perceive to be a battle for the third starting spot alongside Bolton and Tranquill.

Will the Chiefs miss Leo Chenal's playmaking?

Don't get it twisted: Chenal departing for the Washington Commanders does leave some production to be replaced. For instance, he racked up 218 tackles and seven sacks over the course of his rookie deal and was a constant analytics darling for Pro Football Focus grades.

On the other hand, his peak involvement on defense saw him play 441 snaps in 14 games last year, good for 53% total. In the three years prior, he never reached higher than 41%. It's more likely that the Chiefs will miss Chenal's occasional splash plays and special teams proficiency than his every-down acumen.

That doesn't mean it'll be easy to replicate what he did, but patching an adequate SAM role together shouldn't be the most challenging prospect the defense faces.

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