Tag: Anthony Hitchens

Report: Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens battling ‘nerve injury’ in right elbow

What #Chiefs HC Andy Reid described as a ‘triceps contusion’ for Anthony Hitchens might actually be more serious according to a new report.

Kansas City Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens was ruled out of last week’s game with an elbow injury.

During Andy Reid’s Wednesday injury update, he referred to Hitchens’ injury as a “triceps contusion.” Contusion typical refers to a bruise or welt, which doesn’t sound all that serious, given the potential alternatives. However, we’re now learning that Hitchens’ injury might be a bit more serious than initially let on by the Chiefs’ head coach.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Jeffrey Chadiha, Hitchens is dealing with a nerve injury in his elbow.

“Middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens is battling a nerve injury,” Chadiha said on NFL Now on Wednesday. “A nerve issue in his right elbow, that he sustained in that Washington game.”

Nerve injuries in the elbow can be tricky for players to play through. Some could choose to tough it out with a big brace on the elbow, which is certain to be a painful route for a player whose job is to make tackles. Others opt for surgery to repair the injury right away.

Whatever route the Chiefs decide to take, Chadiha anticipates that the team won’t play Hitchens against the Titans in Week 7. His practice status on Wednesday would also suggest that. Instead, Chadiha feels that Nick Bolton will get the nod to start in place of Hitchens, with second-year man Willie Gay Jr. as his primary running mate on defense.

“They’ll probably be starting Nick Bolton, a rookie, at linebacker alongside Willie Gay, a second-year player at linebacker,” Chadiha added.

Whatever the case, it’s looking more and more likely that the Chiefs will be without their typical defensive signal-caller for this week and perhaps beyond. Bolton has played plenty of snaps so far this season, while Gay looks to increase his workload in his third game back from injured reserve. Look for Darius Harris or Christian Rozeboom to potentially be elevated from the practice squad as well.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates after win in Washington

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed it’s a torn Achilles for TE Jody Fortson, plus more postgame injury updates.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a few big injuries during their Week 6 comeback win over the Washington Football Team.

After the game, Chiefs HC Andy Reid provided reporters with an update on two players who left the game with an injury, LB Anthony Hitchens and TE Jody Fortson. Hitchens is the quarterback of the defense, wearing the green dot and calling all the plays on that side of the ball. Fortson is a fan-favorite after emerging at the tight end position during the preseason and a productive red-zone target this season.

Unfortunately, it’s the worst-case scenario for Fortson, but there is some optimism with Hitchens.

“Jody Fortson tore his Achilles,” Reid said. “And (Anthony Hitchens) had an elbow, they’re going to MRI it tomorrow and we’ll see.”

A torn Achilles means that Fortson’s season will be over. He’ll finish the year with five receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes spoke to Fortson after the game, saying he was in “good spirits.”

Reid did have another injury update as well, explaining that FB Michael Burton suffered a pec injury and would be getting an MRI on it when the team returns to Kansas City. That’s potentially three big injuries for the Chiefs, but the MRIs for Hitchens and Burton will reveal the full extent of the damage from Week 6.

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Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens sustains apparent elbow injury against WFT

The #Chiefs could be without their veteran linebacker for the remainder of the matchup on the road against #Washington | from @thejohndillon

An apparent injury sustained in the second quarter by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens will force the defense to reshuffle their personnel against Washington Football Team. Hitchens came up shaken, holding his arm after a second-quarter play where he was penalized for unnecessary roughness.

Options to replace him are relatively limited, and his status for the rest of the game is in question. Fourth-year linebacker Ben Niemann is likely to step in, filling a familiar role in the middle of the defense where he has started off-and-on in recent seasons.

While Hitchens’ injury is bad news for a defense that can’t afford to lose any contributors amid major struggles in their first five games, a solid start against Washington has Kansas City in an early lead as they try to claw back to .500 on the season.

Hitchens was a free agent signing ahead of the Chiefs’ 2019 Super Bowl run, and he has been starting since his addition to the roster where he has quarterbacked the defense in recent seasons. If he is out for more than the rest of this game, it could force the Chiefs’ hand to sign or trade for another linebacker to fill the hole his absence would leave in the defense.

His replacement Ben Niemann has plenty of experience in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system and should be able to come in and play capably, even if not spectacularly, in relief of the veteran. Kansas City has relied on his contributions in the past, to varying degrees of success, and they know exactly what they’ll get from him in extended playtime. He’s one of the few players who can wear the green dot and make all of the calls on defense for Kansas City.

Against a middling Washington offensive attack, the Chiefs should be able to keep their early lead without Hitchens. As inconsistent as their defense has played so far this season, nothing is guaranteed, especially down their defensive maestro.

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Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens describes challenge of facing Bills QB Josh Allen

“Just a new week, a new challenge. This week it’s the quarterback, and we’ve got some things for him.” #Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens on #Bills QB Josh Allen | from @TheJohnDillon

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The best game on this week’s NFL schedule will be between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in primetime to decide who the AFC favorite will be heading into the middle part of the season. A familiar matchup for both sides after two scraps last year, one of which was the AFC Championship Game, the teams’ awareness of each other’s strategies should make for intriguing television and high drama to cap off the weekend.

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are among the best signal-callers in the league, likely competing for their share of the MVP votes at the end of the season. Kansas City’s defense is well aware of the threat Allen poses to the team’s hopes of advancing past .500 for the first time since week one, and they’ve prepared all week to contain the Bills’ high-octane offense.

Anthony Hitchens is something of a quarterback himself, but playing linebacker on the other side of the ball. Amid all the Chiefs’ struggles through four games, Hitchens has had his share of ups and downs. He needs a big game against Buffalo to get his season back on track. He spoke to reporters before Friday’s practice about the challenge of stopping Allen. He plans to counter Allen’s pre-play maneuvering to keep Kansas City ahead of the curve in all four quarters.

“He’s a big guy, a big target,” Hitchens explained. “There are certain ways you need to tackle him. He’s one of those guys that you have to stay high around his arms and his upper body, can’t be diving at his legs, his feet, he’ll just keep it moving. He’s got a good pump fake, strong arm, can hold the ball with one arm. Just like every week man, every week presents a new challenge.

“This week is definitely number 17 [Josh Allen] back there. [He has] got a strong arm, ability to run, ability to check at the line. He’s going to be in this league for a long time and play some good ball. Just a new week, a new challenge. This week it’s the quarterback, and we’ve got some things for him. Me and him can play a little cat and mouse game with the checks and audibles and see how we do there.”

Hitchens will need to make good on every bit of what he said in the Friday press conference to help propel the Chiefs to victory. If last week’s bounce-back win against Philadelphia was any indication, a big performance could be in the works in front of a country waiting for Kansas City to look unbeatable again.

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Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens shares thoughts on defense’s slow start

Anthony Hitchens spoke on the #Chiefs’ poor run defense and how it has also impacted the team’s ability to rush the passer. | from @TheJohnDillon

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A tough Week 2 performance for the Kansas City Chiefs has them at 1-1 heading into their matchup against the Chargers. Their offense has kept pace with the prolific production of years past, but has also faltered in crunch time due to lacking play from the defense on the other side. With several key games ahead and the meat of their schedule looming, improvement is needed to remain relevant through January.

Kansas City needs as much help as they can get against the run, which will start with better play from their linebacker corps which has disappointed in the first two matchups of the season. Led by veteran Anthony Hitchens, the middle of the Chiefs’ defense is reeling after a bad game against 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson. The group aims to improve against Justin Herbert and Los Angeles on Sunday.

Hitchens spoke to the media ahead of Thursday’s practice, telling reporters that the necessity of stopping the run is a function of the run-first blueprint that has become key to beating Kansas City for less accomplished teams.

“In order to keep our offense off the field and Pat [Patrick Mahomes], you want to run the ball, you want to kill the time and milk it and make it a long quarter,” Hitchens explained. “That’s what teams are deciding to do and the only thing we can do right now is try to get better at it. Obviously, we haven’t been playing our best in our run defense, but we haven’t in years past and we flipped it around. So, it’s just going to be another challenge for us. We get out there early, do walkthroughs before practice and just try to get it right. We’ve got a bunch of right guys; we’re working at it. All you can do is work at it. We won’t know if it worked or not until Sunday, so we just keep working at it and keep improving.”

As the quarterback of the Chiefs’ defense, Hitchens is in a unique position to be the primary force behind getting things back on track. He went on to layout the gameplan moving forward, emphasizing that communication will be key, and that it all starts with a steady pass rush.

“We’ve got some different guys in different positions. We’ve got younger guys playing,” Hitchens said of the early performances. “T-5 [Tyrann Mathieu] didn’t really play. He was our communication guy on the back end the first game and he [came] back. We’ve also got a couple of new guys like J [Jarran] Reed upfront, we’ve got Nick Bolton playing a lot of snaps. So, the timing and culture and guys just echoing things and feeding off each other and things like that.

“We’ll get that down, that’s my least worry for me as a player. As a defense, I think our main focus is right now, stopping this run, making it 2nd and long, 3rd and long so we can let our rushers rush. We don’t have many sacks. The reason why is because it’s 3rd and 2 and 1st or 3rd and 3, they can run or pass. We just have to correct that aspect so we can let Chris [Jones] and Frank [Clark] just takeoff and sack the quarterback.”

Under Hitchens’ guidance, Kansas City’s defense is officially in a boom or bust scenario that could dominate the Chiefs’ discourse all season. He has the influence and know-how to help fix the glaring issues on defense. He is also on a contract that necessitates that he steps up in a big way for the team this year. A big game against Los Angeles could prove to be the turnaround fans are hoping for after having their hopes of a perfect season crushed last week at M&T Bank Stadium.

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Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens will play at a lighter weight in 2021

#Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens is looking to elevate his game this season, showing up to training camp at a lighter weight than usual. | from @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs added players through the draft back in April that are expected to play vital roles this season. The veterans, however, will also play key roles during the upcoming season.

One veteran that has accepted the role as a leader has been linebacker Anthony Hitchens. A young linebacker room surrounds the eight-year veteran with second-year player Willie Gay and rookie Nick Bolton. Hitchens expressed a focused mindset during Monday’s press conference with reporters.

“Just improve, like I said back in the spring. Keep improving. The only way you can get better is by working at it,” Hitchens said on Monday. “Coach (Andy) Reid and the rest of our coaching staff put together a plan for us to get more reps in the red zone, so all you can do is go out there and work at it. That’s the forefront of our mind right now, so just getting better in all areas, especially in the red zone.”

One area where Hitchens has already improved this season is his fitness. When the veteran linebacker first joined the Chiefs back in 2018, he weighed closer to 240 pounds. Typically, for training camp, Hitchens showed up weighing around 235 pounds. This year, he’s showed up five pounds lighter to camp and intends to keep it that way.

“For me, I turned my tape on and I played my best ball around where I’m at right now,” Hitchens explained. “There’s times where I can get too light, and there’s sometimes where I can put on some pounds. So, I’ve got to find that happy medium to where I can play rangy but also play in the box. And sometimes, some people can fix that in one year, two years, three years. So it’s just a feel for it. I might get into camp and I’m like, ‘Nah, nah. I have to put my weight back on.’ I’m just going to play with it. We have a little time before the first game, so I’m going to play with it, but I don’t want to be too high or too low on my weight. So, I’ll pick a middleweight and go from there. 231 to 230 is where I’m going to shoot for throughout the whole season.”

Hitchens hopes to set the tone for the season early, relishing the opportunity to be in pads again and get physical on the football field. It’s like Christmas for linebackers, who thrive most when they can tackle.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since, like early February,” said Hitchens. “Anytime you get out there, and we’re blessed to be able to do this for a job, so anytime you get the pads on and get out there running and hitting and having fun, it’s always a good thing. I’m right with them. I’m excited about it as well. Just looking forward to keep improving this year in this camp and getting better.”

Hitchens will be ready to improve his own player, but also elevate the player of the entire linebacker corps. They haven’t exactly had the best track record over the past few seasons, but the former Iowa Hawkeye is entering the 2021 season on a mission to take his unit to another level.

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Anthony Hitchens one of 3 former Cowboys seeking 2nd straight Chiefs title

Three former Cowboys are attempting to win back-to-back championships with the Chiefs. Hear what Anthony Hitchens had to say about Dallas.

The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, and that means three former Dallas defenders have yet another chance to reach the sports pinnacle.

Linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson, along with cornerback Charvarius Ward, all began their careers with the Cowboys, and all three are thriving after a change of scenery landed them in Kansas City.

Hitchens was the most memorable Cowboy of the bunch, as he was an integral part of the Dallas defense for his first four seasons. A prospect from Iowa, the Cowboys selected Hitchens in the fourth round in 2014.  He spoke fondly of his old team this week during Super Bowl media sessions, stating the following.

“Every path I took shaped me to who I am today. There’s no knock on Dallas or anything like that. My four years there were amazing. I had an amazing coach, coach “Flus” (Matt Eberflus) coached me, and pushed me to limits I never thought I could reach.”

Hitchens would elaborate on his influences from his time in Dallas,

“I learned how to go beyond my limits because of how we (Dallas) practiced out there. It shaped me. I had great leadership. I had Sean Lee next to me, teaching me the ropes. A lot of young guys don’t get that. So there were a lot of things that shaped me into who I am today.”

Despite it being the beginning of his career, a lot was asked of Hitchens from the moment he stepped in Dallas. The former Hawkeye started 11 games a rookie for the Cowboys, and would go on to start 48 of the teams’ 64 games during his time with the club.

Hitchens hit the open market as the Cowboys had their guys at the position with Jaylon Smith, Sean Lee, and Leighton Vander Esch, but the Cowboys would have likely kept Hitchens had they predicted the injury problems that would plague the three backers they kept.

In his first season away from Dallas, Hitchens led the Chiefs in tackles, and the team was just a play away from making the Super Bowl. The next two seasons Kansas City reached the Super Bowl, and Hitchens would finish second in tackles on the team both years.

After playing beside Hitchens in Dallas, Wilson joined Hitchens in Kansas City in 2019, and immediately showed he was capable of a larger role than the Cowboys ever gave him. Wilson finished third in tackles on the Chiefs each of the last two seasons, and both he and Hitchens started every game that they were available.

Ward was less known as a Cowboy than Wilson and Hitchens, but just like the other two, he has found his niche with the new club. Ward was undrafted in 2018, but signed a three-year deal with Dallas. Just before the season began, the Cowboys traded Ward to the Chiefs in exchange for guard Parker Ehinger.

Three years later, and Ward has developed into a solid starting cornerback on an extremely cheap deal for the Chiefs, something the Cowboys could greatly use given their current roster circumstances. Ehinger retired due to injuries.

These former Cowboys take the field this weekend and attempt to help the Chiefs become just the eighth team to win back-to-back NFL Championships.

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Chiefs activate LB Anthony Hitchens, DE Mike Danna from reserve/COVID-19 list

Some help on the defensive side of the ball for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs will get some defensive reinforcements ahead of their divisional-round game against the Cleveland Browns.

According to the NFL’s official transactions report, the Chiefs have activated LB Anthony Hitchens and DE Mike Danna from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hitchens tweeted last week, indicating that he’d returned to the team facility and would be back from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Danna was only recently placed on the list after being confirmed as a high-risk close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

The return of Hitchens is big news for the Chiefs. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Dec. 22 and missed Week 16 against the Falcons and Week 17 against the Chargers as a result. He’s typically the defensive signal-caller for the team. He wears the green dot and in his absence, the team had relied on Ben Niemann and Darius Harris to relay the play call’s to the defense. Hitchens has also been heralded as the “glue guy” on defense. He makes all the individual units work together and play at their best.

Danna’s return is important for Kansas City too. He’s been a crucial part of the defensive line rotation, even as a rookie. One area where he’s been most impressive is his ability to set the edge in the run game, something that will be tested during the divisional playoff matchup against a Browns team that possesses a strong running game.

In a corresponding move, the team waived WR Gehrig Dieter, who was signed to the 53-man roster for Week 17. Expect Dieter to be re-signed to the practice squad in the coming days assuming he clears waivers.

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Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens indicates he has returned from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Chiefs’ defensive signal-caller says he’s back in the building after a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting a boost to their defense before they return to practice this week.

Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, indicating that he’s back in the building after nearly a full two-week absence. Kansas City placed Hitchens on the reserve/COVID-19 list back on December 22. This was believed to be a result of a high-risk close contact, but his extended stay suggests that he could have contracted the virus.

Hitchens, who is the Chiefs’ defensive signal-caller, missed the final two games of the regular season. This forced Ben Niemann and Darius Harris to wear the green dot in his absence, getting the calls from the sideline and relaying those to the rest of the defense.

In 14 starts this season, Hitchens has 78 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and a pass breakup. He still finished the year second on the team in total tackles, despite missing those final two games.  Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke about his season back in early December, describing him as the “glue guy” on the defense.

“To me, he’s the glue,” Spagnuolo said of Hitchens. “You don’t have the luxury of seeing the guys like I do and seeing the interaction and the little things that he does. I showed one this morning from yesterday’s practice—I actually made the point that we all should feel fortunate that we have Hitch as a MIKE linebacker because he does a lot of things before the ball is snapped and he helps everybody else play better. I’m sure glad we got him; I think he’s playing some really good football. He always has played aggressive, he always has tackled physically, and I think he brings that to the game. I think all of us, I’m talking about players and coaches, appreciate what he does.”

The team appreciation for Hitchens has likely grown fonder in his absence. His return to action will be a big boost for a defense that is looking to make a statement during the playoffs.

The Chiefs return to practice on Thursday as they prepare for potential opponents in the divisional round. Expect an official transaction, returning Hitchens from the reserve/COVID-19 list to happen either later today or tomorrow.

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Chiefs announce several roster moves on Saturday

The Chiefs have added several players to the 53-man roster ahead of Week 16’s game with the Falcons.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have announced a number of roster moves ahead of their Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons.

First up, starting middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens has not been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Instead, the team used the COVID-19 replacement designation to elevate WR Gehrig Dieter, signaling Hitchens won’t be back this week. This means that we’ll likely see some sort of duo of Ben Niemann and Willie Gay Jr. as the Chiefs’ starters at the linebacker position. In their base personnel, they’ll also likely use Darius Harris. Remember, Damien Wilson was ruled out this week and Dorian O’Daniel is on injured reserve.

To help solve the depth issues at the linebacker spot the team activated an undrafted free agent in Omari Cobb using a standard elevation. At 6-4 and 223 pounds, Cobb can play both the outside linebacker spots. This is the first time that Cobb has been activated to the 53-man roster since joining the practice squad in 2020.

For the second consecutive week, the team has chosen to elevate CB DeAndre Baker to the 53-man roster. Last week he played in just five snaps on special teams and didn’t get any opportunities to play defense. Look for Baker to perhaps get some looks on defense if the Chiefs jump out to a lead over the Falcons. This will be the last time that he can be activated using the standard elevation, so the Chiefs need to make it count and do a little evaluating.

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