The Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2022 offseason with many issues to address. The constant evaluation of the roster by general manager Brett Veach is an essential factor in the team’s long-term effectiveness.
One of those moves made recently was the team’s decision to part ways with veteran linebacker Anthony Hitchens. The Chiefs waived one of their most valued defensive leaders after four seasons in Kansas City. He played a significant part in the unit’s evolution over the years and was crucial in the team’s shift from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defensive front in 2019.
During his podium press conference at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, Veach took no pride in having to release Hitchens in favor of salary cap savings. In fact, he praised Hitchens for being a consummate professional during his time with the team.
“Yeah. You have a lot of positives in this job, and you get to do a lot of great things,” Veach told reporters on Tuesday. “But going through something like that is really difficult. It’s even more difficult when you talk about the caliber of person Anthony Hitchens is. I’ve told him many a time that when you look up the textbook definition of what a pro means, it’s Anthony Hitchens. He does everything the right way.”
Hitchens finished the 2021 season with 80 tackles and one interception in 15 games played. In June, he turns 30 years old, but Veach expects he’ll continue to be a reliable and valuable player in the league.
“First-in, last-out type of guy. Smart leader. Really cares about the profession,” Veach continued. “And I’m sure he’ll play a few more years in this league, he’s a valuable addition to any locker room. And we talked about this in our last conversation, strange things happen and maybe he ends up back in K.C. It was a difficult decision, but I can’t say enough about him and his family, just tremendous people.”
Hitchens has been an essential part of the development of the young linebackers on the team, Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton. Even with the young players waiting in the wings, Veach didn’t rule out the possibility of Hitchens returning to Kansas City. There needs to be a particular set of circumstances for that to happen, but stranger things have happened in the NFL before.
“You know how this league works,” Veach said. “He’ll certainly go out there and I’m sure he’ll have some suitors. He brings a lot to the table, especially a young linebacking corps. I mean the work he did with Willie Gay and Nick Bolton last year – I think you can ask both those guys and they’d be the first ones to tell you that they developed into the players they were at the end of the season because of Anthony. I think that’ll be attractive to a lot of teams with some younger linebackers. If that doesn’t work out though, every team needs to fill out depth on their roster and it’s a long season. You never know, these things have a bunch of different ways they could turn out.”
