Drue Tranquill needs to stay on the field

Looking at how the veteran LB's versatility has been crucial to the Chiefs' defensive success over the last several weeks

I’m not here to have a debate about who is the best Chiefs linebacker, or second best Chiefs linebacker, or anything like that.

There’s no need for it. Kansas City has a good problem, with a number of players they like like at the position. They also have guys with varying skillsets who can fit a variety of gameplans. That’s a good thing. So I’m not here to rank anyone, or argue about who is better than whom (that’s right, we’re going with “whom” today).

I’m here, quite simply, to say that when Nick Bolton is ready to get back into the swing of things, Drue Tranquill should remain on the field as a fixture for the Chiefs defense.

However Steve Spagnuolo wants to accomplish that is up to him. And I’ll talk at the end of this article about how I would consider divvying things up if I were Spags. But for now, I just want to spread the word; Tranquill belongs on the field in virtually every scenario the Chiefs could face.

Against the Vikings, Tranquill was once again a pivotal part of the defensive success, and showed off the versatility that made him such an intriguing addition when the Chiefs signed him. The veteran linebacker can do a little bit of everything, and do it well. There was one series in particular where he helped send the Vikings off the field that showed why he, among all of Spags’ linebackers, shows the most reason to be in on all three downs with consistency.

Let’s talk about Tranquill’s day against the Vikings and what he brings to the table that’s made him so valuable. We’ll start with the drive I mentioned in the last paragraph, where on first and second down Tranquill displayed on back-to-back snaps his ability to adapt to whatever the team needs.

On 1st and 10, Tranquill is asked to help defend the middle of the field, as he’s placed in a position to run up the seam with Hockenson.

This is a tough assignment to do well, as Tranquill is asked to move laterally to get into Hockenson’s path early, but then turn his hips and run down the field. He then needs to maintain control and speed while getting his hands up to defend the pass without getting a penalty. It’s a tough draw, especially when you look at the amount of space around them.

Essentially, Tranquill is on an island against one of the better receiving tight ends in the league. There’s a reason why Cousins pulls the trigger so quickly on this play; Hockenson vs a linebacker up the field is the exact matchup they want.