As the NFL evolves beyond the days of smashmouth football, linebackers have had to evolve as well. Formerly nasty, run stopping specalists, now teams look for athletic freaks who can get after the quarterback from an upright position. There is a huge premium placed on young linebackers who can contribute early, and many veterans are going to be fighting for their jobs this summer.
Where will teams be revamping their defenses with young linebackers? Lets find out.
Baltimore Ravens
Contenders: Sergio Kindle, Courtney Upshaw
Nearly all of the early talk out of Baltimore’s minicamps has been centered on how great rookie outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw has looked in the work outs. It’s easy to forget now, but if it weren’t for a freak accident in 2010, Upshaw may not have even been drafted by the Ravens at all.
The accident, of course, was when then rookie linebacker Sergio Kindle fell down a flight of stairs, fracturing his skull. He’s back to playing now, but some of the damage wasn’t reversible: he suffers from some hearing loss in his left ear, which he admits is a hindrance, but he claims he’s adjusted to it.
2012 will be a make or break year for Kindle. A poor performance this summer could result in Kindle not departing from Baltimore’s roster, but he could be out of the league altogether. Kindle has, or at least had a high ceiling. He had 18 sacks over his least two years at Texas, and his play making ability made him an easy selection in the second round of the 2010 draft.
If Kindle could get the reps necessary to knock off the rust and show he’s still a high caliber player, he could make a surprising push for the starting spot in Terrell Suggs’ absence. But Upshaw has quickly become a coaches’ favorite in Baltimore, and he’ll get the lion’s share of reps in training camp as they groom him for the starting role. Kindle will likely try to secure the backup role behind Upshaw for 2012.
Carolina Panthers
Contenders: Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly
Touted as the safest prospect in the draft, linebacker Luke Kuechly was initially pegged by many analysts to play inside linebacker in the NFL. When the Carolina Panthers drafted him, that plan changed. The Panthers already have one of the best middle linebackers in the league, Jon Beason, so Kuechly instead will be working at weakside linebacker.
Thomas Davis has been a pretty solid linebacker in the past for Carolina. From 2006-2008 he racked up 291 tackles and only missed two games. On the other hand, in the past two seasons he’s only played in nine games. His 2012 was cut short with a torn ACL, and his numerous battles with knee injuries led to some discussion that he may have been considering retirement.
Davis isn’t going to retire, but he’s not likely to be the Panthers’ starting weakside linebacker. The safest pick in the 2012 draft is a safe bet to take over for Davis. The more interesting battle in Carolina may be between Kuechly and Beason for the inside linebacker spot. Beason is obviously the entrenched starter, but he’s coming off a torn Achilles tendon. Ron Rivera has already said Kuechly will get a chance to play inside occasionally, and if he outplays Beason there, it may be Beason who ends up playing outside.
Cleveland Browns
Contenders: Chris Gocong, Kaluka Maiava, James-Michael Johnson
Cleveland drafted James-Michael Johnson in the fourth round to groom him to eventually replace 33 year old strongside linebacker Scott Fujita. The rookie out of Nevada may be forced in to playing as early as week one, however.
Fujita’s four game suspension hurts the Browns, but they do have a few options. Prior to the beginning of OTAs the most likely option would have been to move weakside linebacker Chris Gocong to Fujita’s position, and give Kaluka Maiava the nod on the weakside. Maiava has largely been a special teams player in Cleveland, but started the final five games for the Browns in 2011.
Those five games gives Maiava him an advantage over Johnson, but it’s not an insurmountable one. Johnson was productive in his final season at Nevada, racking up 95 tackles. He’s strong against the run game, which plays to the weakness of the Browns’ defense in 2011. He’s big and athletic, and if the game isn’t too fast for him he could shine as the starter. Johnson is likely to excel in Fujita’s absence, and he may not let go of the starting role.
Green Bay Packers
Contenders: A.J. Hawk, D.J. Smith
When he was drafted in 2006, A.J. Hawk was a fan favorite in Green Bay. He was one of the biggest names in college football, and Packers’ faithful looked forward to him growing into one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Flash forward to 2012, and you’ll find that Hawk is now the Cheesehead’s favorite whipping boy.
Hawk’s inconsistent play has lead to many fans calling for him to be replaced in the starting line up. D.J. Smith, who excelled in filling in for fellow inside linebacker Desmond Bishop, is often the popular candidate for replacing Hawk. In three starts he had 27 tackles and looked comfortable in spite of making the transition from playing at Appalachian State to playing in the NFL.
However, making a change in Green Bay’s 3-4 defense isn’t simple. Hawk, while inconsistent, is the only true “thumper” in the Packers’ linebacking corps. Smith is linebacker that is much more similar to Bishop – stellar in coverage and a great all around line backer, but he can’t be relied upon against the run on his own. A duo of Bishop and Smith would bring a ton of speed, but opposing offensive guards would feast on them in the running game. Hawk’s game leaves something to be desired, but he’s still the best option for Green Bay in 2012.
Seattle Seahawks
Contenders: Barrett Rudd, Bobby Wagner
Seattle head coach Pete Carrol didn’t set out to make many large changes on defense during the offseason, but he did want to add an infusion of athleticism. The addition of pass rusher Bruce Irvin obviously accomplishes that, but he’s likely to be more of a situational player. The best chance for a rookie to consistently see the field on defense, the Seahawks will look to second round pick Bobby Wagner.
Seattle signed Barrett Rudd to give the defense a reliable veteran presence on the inside, but he doesn’t bring any of the explosiveness that the Seahawks are looking for in 2012. He’s battled injuries over the past several seasons, and at this point in his career his most valuable asset will be his leadership in the locker room and on the sideline.
Wagner on the other hand brings a ton of athleticism to the table. He has the prototypical size for a middle linebacker, but has speed that many linebackers just don’t have. Physical skill won’t be an issue for Wagner, but as middle linebacker he’ll be responsible for making pre snap calls for the rest of the defense. That’s often too much to ask of a rookie, and it can be very overwhelming.
Rudd was in a similar situation last season in Tennessee. For the first several weeks of the season he was the starting middle linebacker while rookie Colin McCarthy got acclimated to the speed of the game. When the time came, Rudd gave way to McCarthy and the rookie never looked back.
It could likely be a similar situation in Seattle. Rudd has the experience to provide the Seahawks with some solid play while Wagner gets ready for primetime. But with Rudd being a year older, don’t expect him to hold off Wagner for long.
Tennessee Titans
Contenders: Zach Brown, Gerald Mcrath, Will Witherspoon
Zach Brown has the athleticism most coaches would kill for in a linebacker, and if the draft was based on measurable alone he would have easily been a first round pick. Unfortunately, he shies away from contact and displays below average instincts – both very bad traits for a linebacker to have. The Titans’ second round pick should be a lock for the starting weak side linebacker position, but he’s got a lot of work to do before he’s penciled in as the starter.
Gerald Mcrath was drafted in 2009 with the intentions of developing him into a starting outside linebacker. But after a promising first two seasons, 2011 was a tremendous disappointment. He had a shot to secure a full time starting role on the Titans’ defense, but instead he ended the season with only 15 tackles in 12 games.
Will Witherspoon has started 30 of the last 32 games at outside linebacker for the Titans, and he’ll be Brown’s primary competition for that spot in 2012. Witherspoon hasn’t been outstanding in his two years with Tennessee, but he’s been consistent. There was a definite drop in productivity in 2011, as he dropped for 92 tackles in 2010 to just 56 in 2011, so there is a concern that age is beginning to catch up with him.
The scouting report on Brown is pretty dismal, but Titans’ fans should write Brown off as a bust already. The knocks on him are similar to what was said about another Tennessee linebacker when he was drafted. Keith Bulluck ended up having an outstanding career as a Titan, and Brown has a chance to do the same. Like Bulluck, Brown won’t be asked to be a force in the run game. Brown is great in coverage and that will be his primary responsibility as the Titans’ weakside linebacker in 2012.
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