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Chiefs defense needs boost from LB Willie Gay in his return against 49ers – The Athletic

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the middle of an NFL season, most players don’t have the opportunity to serve as a part-time advanced scout.

Willie Gay, the Chiefs’ third-year linebacker, realized doing that was his best option when he returned to the team’s training facility on Oct. 3, the midway point of his four-game suspension. The Chiefs were early into implementing their game plan a week ahead of hosting the Las Vegas Raiders, their oldest division rival. Gay attended the Chiefs’ usual meetings, but when the team practiced, or later at night in his home, Gay studied film of a different opposing offense, the opponent the Chiefs will face Sunday: the San Francisco 49ers.

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Gay is expected to make his on-field return to the Chiefs’ starting lineup Sunday — and his knowledge of the 49ers’ offense and above-average athleticism could be a significant boost for the rest of the team.

“It’ll be great to get Willie back in the mix,” said coach Andy Reid, who shared Monday his appreciation for Gay’s approach toward scouting. “Things go fast in the NFL, and a week can seem like an eternity. You’re always growing in certain areas, so to be back in the room, you can grow with the guys scheme-wise.”

Since he has yet to be officially added to the Chiefs’ active roster, which could occur as late as Saturday afternoon, Gay is expected to make his first public comments about his suspension following Sunday’s game. On Monday, though, Gay posted a video — which started with the beloved WWE wrestler The Undertaker awaking and sitting up in a coffin next to the ring — on his Instagram account that showcased several of his highlights.

Gay is known as the Juice Man, the nickname he gave himself to describe his flamboyant actions on the field — shouting, fist-pumping and dancing after highlight plays — that help energize the Chiefs’ defense. Several teammates were thrilled to see Gay be rejuvenated Wednesday when he participated in his first post-suspension practice.

“He wore his mouthpiece all day yesterday, so that gives you an idea of how excited he is,” linebacker Nick Bolton said prior to Thursday’s practice. “It’s like that kid looking outside at recess through the blinds where everybody else is playing.”

The league announced last month that Gay was suspended as punishment for violating the personal-conduct policy. On Jan. 19, during the Chiefs’ postseason run, Gay was arrested in Overland Park, Kan., and booked for a class B misdemeanor criminal damage to property charge of less than $1,000.

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“Willie was at his son’s house visiting,” Gay’s representative Max Lepselter said in January. “He and the mother got into an argument in which he broke her vacuum. No one was touched, nothing happened beyond a broken appliance.”

The charge against Gay “constitutes a domestic violence offense,” according to the Overland Park police report. The victim in the report, who identified as an ex-partner, did not sustain any injuries, although she alleged Gay pushed her onto a couch where their son, Jahsiah, who was 3 months old at the time, was sleeping.

Following the incident, Gay voluntarily obtained a domestic violence assessment, according to Johnson County district court documents. On June 15, Gay signed a diversion agreement that required him to receive counseling. Since then, Gay has met regularly with Dr. Shaun Tyrance, the Chiefs’ team clinician who is the vice president of player services and assessment, to improve his mental health.

The Chiefs went 2-2 during the four-game stretch, as Darius Harris, a three-year player, started in Gay’s absence. Harris collected a career-high 13 tackles in the Chiefs’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and he recorded the first sack of his career in the Chiefs’ comeback win over the Raiders. Last week, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, Harris finished with six tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.

“Hopefully I’m still a (base personnel) starter, but I’ll prepare myself as if I’m a starter,” Harris said after Sunday’s game. “I put some good things on film. I feel I definitely showed I can be a starter in this league. I felt I proved it to not only the team and the league but just myself, honestly. I can play with anybody. Wherever they need me, I’m willing to play.”

Even with Harris’ contributions and Bolton’s tackling ability, the Chiefs in the past four weeks did miss the type of highlight-worthy plays that Gay is capable of producing. In the video he posted on his Instagram account, four of Gay’s highlights were in the Chiefs’ comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers, his last game before serving his suspension.

Gay almost had an interception earlier in the game, but on the game’s biggest play, Gay used his speed and athleticism to influence a pass by star quarterback Justin Herbert that rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson intercepted and returned 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Chiefs their first lead.

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In the Chiefs’ first two games, both victories, Gay made 16 tackles, the second-most behind Bolton (20). Gay was also tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (two) and pass breakups (two).

“He brings a lot of speed,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Thursday of Gay. “He runs around and makes explosive plays. He’s dynamic and he loves playing.”

Spagnuolo also acknowledged that Gay, in his first organized practice in a month, did appear to be rusty at times. Spagnuolo hopes much of the team’s defensive repetitions Thursday and Friday will help polish Gay’s technique, especially when in coverage.

Pound for pound, Gay, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds, might be one of the best defenders the Chiefs have to be assigned to star receiver Deebo Samuel, who is listed at 6-foot and 216 pounds. The 49ers utilize Samuel as a dual threat, as he leads the team with 345 receiving yards and is second with 136 rushing yards.

“Sometimes when he’s out there, you have to consider him a running back,” Spagnuolo said of Samuel. “I’ve never seen a (receiver) break as many tackles as he does. He’s unique. We haven’t faced anybody like this before. They’re really effective when he’s explosive.

“You’ve got to make some conscious decisions of what you want to do. Do you want to play man (coverage) and you’ve got to put a linebacker on him when he’s in the backfield? Are you going to put a (defensive back) on him? If you do that, it’s changing the structure of everything else you do. We’re going to pick our spots.”

Whichever decision Spagnuolo makes with his play calls Sunday, Bolton believes the teammate who will help him the most in recognizing the 49ers’ formations and tendencies, with Samuel as the focal point, will be Gay.

Injury update

Cornerback Rashad Fenton (hamstring) was the lone player on the active roster who didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice.

Defensive end Mike Danna (right calf) and left guard Joe Thuney (sprained ankle) were limited. After being limited in Wednesday’s practice, rookie safety Bryan Cook (in step four of the league’s five-step concussion protocol) was a full participant.

(Photo of Justin Herbert and Willie Gay: Denny Medley / USA Today)