Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland has found a new home in the NFC North as a part of Matt Patricia’s defense.
According to ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler, Ragland has agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions after winning Super Bowl 54 with the two months earlier.
Ragland spent the past three seasons with the Chiefs following a trade with Buffalo that sent a 2019 fourth-round draft pick to the Bills in exchange for his services. While in Kansas City, Ragland played an intricate part in former Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s 3-4 defensive scheme as an inside linebacker beside Derrick Johnson.
In 2019, however, Ragland spent most of the season as a reserve and only started seven games towards the tail end of the season in place for a struggling Darron Lee, who’s also a free agent.
Ragland finishes his Chiefs career with 160 tackles (100 solo), 60 assists, 2.5 sacks, and a Super Bowl ring. He now joins a stout defensive unit with the Detroit Lions, who are looking to make some noise in the NFC North for the upcoming season.
The loss of Ragland leaves the Chiefs with a big hole at linebacker with only Ben Niemann and Dorian O’Daniel as the lone options currently under contract for the time being.
According to Over the Cap, the Chiefs have approximately $112k in cap space, meaning a major cut could be on the way to provide Brett Veach some wiggle room to possibly find Ragland’s replacement in free agency and to sign rookies following next month’s draft.
Reggie Ragland was one of Kansas City’s premier run stuffers on defense and will be missed.
