Willie Gay Receives Four-Game Suspension

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It was announced on Monday afternoon that Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay will be suspended for the next four games. For those that do not remember, this stems from his arrest last January. Gay was arrested in January 2022, for misdemeanor criminal destruction of property. The damages were reportedly less than $1,000. Gay was reported to have been at the house of his child’s mother, hoping to visit his son. After an argument ensued, a vacuum cleaner and other items were reportedly broken by the Chiefs defender.

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How will Kansas City’s defense adjust without his absence? What will this mean for Willie Gay moving forward? Plus, what exactly will the Chiefs be missing from him, while he is out? Let’s kick it off.

How Does Absence Affect Chiefs Defense?

The Chiefs will be missing some noticeable traits in the middle of their defense, as Willie Gay is out for four games. The speed and range to which Gay has is a stabilizer against faster-paced offenses. Specifically looking at Kansas City’s next four opponents, the Buccaneers, Raiders and Bills all look to win quickly in space. Indianapolis, on the other hand, is built more on toughness.

The Chiefs also look for Gay to be a threat in pass coverage. Overall, this in an area where he has become much more comfortable in the last year or so. His reads and diagnosis of passing concepts has helped to limit yards after the catch. Whereas with his sideline-to-sideline ability, Willie Gay can be trusted in space against running backs out of the backfield.

Kansas City knows they have a one-of-a-kind linebacker in Nick Bolton. His calming presence will make up for the teaching that will go along with playing with a different teammate. As for who replaces Willie Gay in the short-term, the time may be split evenly between rookie Leo Chenal, Elijah Lee and Darius Harris. It is difficult to project who may lead the trio in playing time, if things are not split evenly. Matchups could also play a factor. For instance, Chenal’s physicality may match up better with this Sunday’s game against the Colts. Time will tell how the Chiefs decide to go about that deployment.

Will This Change Things For Willie Gay Moving Forward?

Does this change things for Willie Gay moving forward? Obviously, the Chiefs like him a lot in their defense. He is the style of linebacker that is necessary on defenses in today’s pass happy NFL. On the flip side, there have been past moments that he has worked through off the field.

During his college career at Mississippi State, Gay was suspended for eight games. This stemmed from academic fraud, as well as an altercation that injured the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback before a bowl game. One of several players from that Mississippi State team suspended for academic fraud, Gay allegedly had a tutor perform classwork for him.

Willie Gay also opened up about his struggles with mental health throughout last season. Seeing how he has worked through balancing football and life off the field may give the Chiefs instilled confidence in him. Given the situation that led to this suspension, Gay was forced to once again deal with consequences. Other instances have shown some levels of growth and maturity from him. As a result, Kansas City hopes that it will be the same case once again, as he deals with this NFL suspension.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.