Getty Images The Chiefs have made another addition to their defense. A day after coming to an agreement with safety Tyrann Mathieu, there are multiple reports that they have also landed linebacker Damien Wilson. It’s a one-year deal for the former Cowboy. Wilson hasn’t missed a game since entering the league as a fourth-round pick in 2015. Wilson made 22 starts on defense over the last three seasons, but has seen the majority of his playing time on special teams. He has 121 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble over the course of his career. Wilson will join former Cowboys teammate Anthony Hitchens in a Kansas City linebacking corps headlined by the franchise-tagged Dee Ford. Reggie Ragland, Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kapassagnon.<doc-sep>Linebacker Damien Wilson is set to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs at the start of free agency Wednesday afternoon, according to multiple reports. Wilson was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played his college ball at the University of Minnesota. He has bounced back and forth between being a starter and a backup during his four year career in Dallas. Last season Wilson started seven games, racking up 37 tackles and a sack. It is expected that he will play strong side linebacker in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 scheme, just as he did for the Cowboys. He could also be a contributor on special teams. The #Chiefs have agreed to terms with LB Damien Wilson, formerly of the #Cowboys, source said. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2019 Wilson’s deal is for two seasons. Things could of course change between now and the start of the regular season, but Wilson projects to be an early favorite to start at SLB. Can confirm that the Chiefs will sign Damien Wilson to a 2-year deal to be their projected starter with Anthony Hitchens & Reggie Ragland. (@TerezPaylor first). Dorian O’Daniel, who showed promise last season, will likely play the same amount of snaps in certain situations. — Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) March 12, 2019 Wilson is a thumper who plays with high energy. He was limited in Dallas due to the amount of nickel defense it plays. The Chiefs probably feel there is untapped potential in Wilson and that he just needs more opportunities. At just 25 years old his best football could very well still be in front of him.<doc-sep>ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 24: Sean Lee #50 of the Dallas Cowboys and Damien Wilson #57 of the Dallas Cowboys combine to tackle Thomas Rawls #34 of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Damien Wilson away from the Dallas Cowboys this week. What exactly are they getting? The Kansas City Chiefs have already made several major moves in the days and hours leading up to the new league year opening, including the release of Justin Houston, the trade of Dee Ford, and the signing of Tyrann Mathieu. However, one smaller move that has largely flown under the radar is the signing of former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damien Wilson. On Tuesday it was announced that the Chiefs will sign Wilson to a two-year deal once free agency officially begins. Wilson was a role player and special teams performer for the Cowboys, but the Chiefs clearly see potential in him with more playing time. Given the uncertainty surrounding Wilson, we asked David Halprin, founder of popular Cowboys site Blogging the Boys, to tell us more about what the Chiefs are getting. Wilson sounds like he’s being potentially slotted for more response than he ever had in Dallas. Do you think this is a good thing? It’s hard to say. Wilson always looked the part, but he was “just a guy” in terms of what he did on the field. He never stood out and made plays consistently that made you say this guy has to get more playing time. Serviceable would be a pretty good term for him. He did have games where he showed out but he could never break into a bigger role with the Cowboys. What does Wilson do best? He’s a solid tackler who generally gets the ball carrier to the ground when he gets his hands on him. He reads the run pretty well and uses his athleticism to track down the ball carrier. He’s pretty good at rushing the passer and getting into the backfield. Getting him going downhill and into space is where he does his best work. He is also very durable, he’s never hurt and is a great addition to special teams if the Chiefs choose to use him there. What should the Chiefs never ask him to do? You probably don’t want him taking on tight ends or slot guys in coverage, especially downfield. He wasn’t asked to do this much in Dallas, his playing time was limited because the Cowboys used the nickel on defense a lot which took him off the field in passing situations (and passing situations are almost always in the NFL nowadays). There was a PFF stat a couple of years ago that had him as elite in pass coverage, but I don’t know of anybody who observed the Cowboys who thought that was his strength. PFF graded him below average this year. Does that ring true? Any mitigating factors? I guess you could say that, but I always thought of Wilson as a guy who does an average job in a limited role. When you thought of linebackers in Dallas last year, it was all Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith and to some extent Sean Lee. Wilson just didn’t play a big enough role to the point of analyzing every little thing he did. He just didn’t have a huge impact on how the defense played in any given game. Again, serviceable is the term I would use to describe his career in Dallas, with an uptick when you talked about his special teams play. Ultimately why did Dallas let him walk? The Cowboys don’t use their SAM linebacker very often. Wilson only got in on 28% of the Cowboys defensive snaps last year. And as mentioned, there was never enough production to the point of saying we have to keep this guy. Vander Esch, Smith and Lee are going to be the primary linebackers, and Dallas has a few other depth pieces in the rotation. It just didn’t make sense for them to offer much of a contract to keep Wilson. They’ll likely miss him on special teams more than anywhere. Maybe things will change for him if he’s given an expanded role, maybe he will blow up, but at a minimum, you’re getting a guy who is reliable and durable. That’s not nothing in the NFL.<doc-sep>
Linebacker Damien Wilson of the Dallas Cowboys has come to terms on a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. The deal will be worth $5.6 million over two years, according to Matt Verderame of FanSided. The signing can become official after the start of free agency at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. Wilson is a former fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and was All-Big Ten in his final year at the University of Minnesota, carrying a high ceiling when he landed in North Texas. He was heavily praised ahead of the 2018 season by EVP Stephen Jones, and rightfully so, considering his upside is strong. Things didn’t exactly go his way, but he was available for all 16 games and started in seven of them. The problem was, his production wasn’t fantastic, as he was overshadowed by a breakout year from Jaylon Smith and rookie sensation Leighton Vander Esch, making it unnecessary to consistently scheme to have three LBs on the field when you could use that extra slot on the 11 for an added defensive back -- knowing Smith and Vander Esch can both cover as well as they can blitz. Still, the jury was out on if Sean Lee will return in 2019 and even with that him doing so on a restructured contract, it’ll be in a backup capacity and rookie Chris Covington was a regular on the inactives list last season. Justin March-Lillard didn’t show much either for the Cowboys, leading many to believe Wilson had a shot at returning. He was the best SAM LB the Cowboys’ roster has not named Smith or Vander Esch (both can play the position), and kept the depth from being dangerously slim. He didn’t take the next step in 2018 as the club hoped though, and that led them to list him very low on the list of priorities in free agency. That works out just fine for the Chiefs, who also signed Anthony Hitchens to the team one year prior, following a failed attempt by the Cowboys to retain him. He’s not as proven of a starter as Hitchens, but can be impactful in rotation. Wilson hasn’t missed a single game in his NFL career, finishing with 64 contests in four seasons for the Cowboys, delivering 22 starts and 103 combined tackles with 2.5 sacks in the process. Wilson, 25, projects as candidate to compete at the SAM linebacker for the Chiefs, who are expected to switch to a 4-3 look under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Hitchens is expected to fill one of the three starting spots at linebacker, likely at either MIKE or WILL, while Reggie Ragland and Dorian O'Daniel will also compete for a place in the lineup. The addition of Wilson is the latest part of a defensive overhaul in Kansas City after the Chiefs finished 31st in total defense last season. The Chiefs have also come to terms on a three-year, $42 million deal with safety Tyrann Mathieu of the Houston Texans and is likely to add more help on defense throughout the offseason. The team also parted ways with pass rusher Justin Houston on March 10 and is reportedly listening to trade offers for pass rusher Dee Ford, who was given the franchise tag on March 4. Patrik Walker of Cowboys247 contributed to this report.