Reggie Ragland Departs The Kansas City Chiefs For the Detroit Lions
KANSAS CITY, Kan.- Reggie Ragland is on the move.
The former Bob Jones two-sport star athlete has signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions after becoming an unrestricted free agent once his four-year rookie contract expired midway through March. Ragland played two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs as one of their star linebackers and won a Super Bowl ring this past season as the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV where Ragland was a starter.
The 6-foot-2, 252-pound Ragland started seven games and posted 30 tackles for the Chiefs in 2019 and was regulated to a part-time role in the current Chiefs’ defensive schemes. He also had a fumble recovery for a touchdown. In the post season, he played 41-percent of the defensive snaps and had eight tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.
The 26-year old Huntsville native joined the Chiefs in a trade with the Buffalo Bills prior to the kickoff of the 2017 season as the Bills drafted him in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2016, but he was hit with injuries causing him to miss the entire 2016 season. He came to the NFL after an All-American career at Alabama where he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and won two National Championships with the Crimson Tide.
At Bob Jones, Ragland was an All-State selection and rated the No. 1 linebacker in his class as a Four-Star player. He also helped his basketball team to the Class 6A State Championship in 2010.