Kansas City Chiefs Camp Battles: Linebacker

July 11, 2012   ·   Christopher Hansen   ·   Jump to comments

The group of linebackers in Kansas City is probably the best in the AFC West due to the presence of Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson. The camp competition will be at the spots opposite Hali and Johnson, with the heavy favorites being Javon Belcher and Justin Houston.
The linebackers remain relatively unchanged from 2011, but there's really no reason to mess with a good thing. The Chiefs allowed a lot of rushing yards last season, but much of that was due to the play of the defensive line and not the linebackers and the volume.
 
Opposite Hali
Houston started 10 games at outside linebacker opposite Hali last season. He was benched in Week 3 in favor of Cameron Sheffield and again from Weeks 5-9 in favor of Andy Studebaker. The more explosive Houston regained his starting spot and finished strong by getting 5.5 sacks in the final five games.
Houston is a great candidate for a breakout year if he can build upon the final five games of the 2011 season. If Housto...

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