The Kansas City Chiefs made a surprise move releasing linebacker Anthony Hitchens. The move creates $8.44 million in cap space for Kansas City and adds an interesting name to the free-agent market.
With the Chicago Bears transitioning to a 4-3 scheme, there’s a greater emphasis on the linebacker position than before. While Roquan Smith will continue to anchor the defense — likely as the “Will” linebacker — that leaves two starting jobs to fill at the “Mike” and “Sam” positions.
Hitchens would make a ton of sense as a free-agent acquisition for that reason alone. But there’s also some connections between Hitchens and this new Bears regime.
The most obvious is the Kansas City connection with new general manager Ryan Poles, who knows exactly what Hitchens brings to the table. But there’s also a connection between Hitchens and new head coach Matt Eberflus, who coached Hitchens with the Dallas Cowboys for four seasons. Eberflus served as linebackers coach and passing game coordinator during Hitchens’ tenure with Dallas, so the two should be well acquainted.
Super Bowl LIV Champion. Team Captain.
Thank you, Hitch ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CJeTfP9vRJ— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 22, 2022
Hitchens joined the Chiefs in 2018, where he went on to have a career year with 135 tackles. Last year, Hitchens had 80 tackles and an interception in 15 games. He was key in their Super Bowl LIV run just a few years ago.
With Smith likely to fill that Darius Leonard role as the “Will,” the Bears need a middle linebacker, which is where Hitchens would be a great fit.
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