Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland had himself a game in Week 7's win over the Denver Broncos.
Ragland produced two tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery, which he returned 5 yards for a touchdown in the Chiefs' 30-6 victory. What makes the production even more impressive is Ragland did all that while playing just 25 snaps, or 37% of all defensive snaps, in his first start of the season.
From an outside point of view, Ragland arguably showed he belonged with the first-team defense.
But defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo cautioned against using a starting label on a player because of the numerous personnel packages he likes to utilize for any given game.
"Be careful with the 'starting' deal because we have probably three or four different packages," Spagnuolo said Thursday when asked if Ragland had earned the right to be a first-teamer again. "So, starting means the first play. I don't know who the starters are right now; we are trying to play a bunch of guys."
After starting 15 games for the Chiefs in 2018, Ragland was inactive for the Chiefs' first two games this season as they transitioned to a 4-3 base defense under Spagnuolo.
Ragland returned to the lineup in Week 3 but saw limited playing time on defense, totaling 19 snaps from Weeks 3-6, an average of 4.7 snaps in that span. Ragland also contributed 31 snaps on special teams in those four games.
Then came Week 7, and an energized performance. It accompanied Ragland's position switch from middle linebacker to the strong side, typically on the side of the field where the opposing tight end lines up.
In that linebacker formation against the Broncos, Ragland was on the field with fellow linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson. Hitchens manned the middle, while Wilson played the weak side.
The trio caused havoc against the Broncos with disruptive play in the gaps and in Denver's backfield, but Ragland's performance really stood out because of the number of snaps he saw.
"I thought Reggie really responded well," coach Andy Reid said earlier in the week. "He really was a bigger factor, more than people know."
Day later, Spagnuolo echoed Reid's assessment.
"I've been pleased with Reggie," Spagnuolo said. "I think in here we talked about this way back, it was going to take a little while to see how we were going to fit things, for the coaches to learn what the players could and couldn't do, and then the players learn us and etc."
In the meantime, the Chiefs are sure to utilize Ragland as Spagnuolo deems fit given the defensive coordinator's willingness to rotate personnel, depending on package groupings.
The Chiefs also have linebacker Ben Niemann, Darron Lee and Dorian O'Daniel on the roster, and each player has contributed this season.
"I like it when you're playing more than just 11 guys," Spagnuolo said. "I think it's good for the unit. It is good to keep guys in tune. As many guys that we can get doing that, the better."
Still, there's little doubt that Ragland's presence on the field against the Broncos helped the Chiefs to a dominant defensive performance that included nine sacks and just 71 yards rushing for Denver.
The latter category is significant when considering the Chiefs allowed 761 total yards rushing during the four-game span in which Ragland saw limited action.
Perhaps getting Ragland on the field in a rotational role against run-minded teams could be the way to go the rest of the way.
"Maybe we found a little niche," Spagnuolo said. "Hopefully, Reggie can keep producing like he did. He had a lot of production last week."
