Anthony Hitchens

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Anthony Hitchens
refer to caption
Hitchens with the Dallas Cowboys in 2017
No. 59, 53
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1992-06-10) June 10, 1992 (age 32)
Lorain, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Clearview (Lorain)
College:Iowa
NFL draft:2014: 4th round, 119th pick
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:
2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Anthony Hitchens (born June 10, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Early life

Hitchens was raised by his mother, Norma Hitchens, in

Clearview High School. He has six siblings and does not have a relationship with his father who was in and out of prison. At the age of 12, Hitchens asked his mother if he could move in with his best friend, Zach Anderson, and his family in Sheffield Township. His mother gave him her permission and he immediately moved into Brad and Amy Anderson's home. Brad attended high school with Norma and Amy worked at a nonprofit organization in the community with her. Anthony played football with their oldest son Zach and would stay overnight and always eat dinner with them. Amy Anderson said there was no discussion about letting him move in because they both cared for him. With two sons of their own and another friend, James Washington, living there, the Andersons added an additional room so the boys would no longer have to share one room among the four of them.[1]

In high school, Hitchens was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, and track. On the football field he was also known for being an explosive running back. He is the school's all-time rushing leader with 3,864 yards, and the single game leader with 354 yards.

Hitchens was labeled a two-star recruit by

Eastern Michigan, before deciding to continue his career at the University of Iowa
.

College career

At Iowa, Hitchens was a four-year

special teams, before starting at linebacker as a junior and senior. In his career at Iowa he racked up 270 total tackles, including 124 as a junior which led the Big Ten Conference.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Hitchens was one of 35 linebackers to perform at the

undrafted free agent by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 31st best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.[6]

External videos
video icon Anthony Hitchens' NFL Combine Workout
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split
20-yard shuttle
 Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+3⁄8 in
(1.84 m) 		240 lb
(109 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.74 s 1.62 s 2.74 s 4.45 s 7.15 s 35+1⁄2 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 23 reps
All values from
NFL Combine[7]
except vertical jump

Dallas Cowboys

2014

The Dallas Cowboys selected Hitchens in the fourth round with the 119th overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft.[8] The Cowboys were heavily criticized regarding his selection, due to many evaluators projecting him to be a seventh round pick or go undrafted. Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones explained that they chose him to provide depth behind Sean Lee after experiencing the loss of Lee the year prior. Jones also stated they planned on selecting Hitchens in the fourth round ahead of time and his speed, athleticism, and tackling ability were key factors.[9] On June 1, 2014, the Cowboys signed Hitchens to a four-year, $2.65 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $434,864.[10]

External videos
video icon Rookie of the Week: Hitchens pulls weight in win
video icon Anthony Hitchens' Week 16 Highlights

When Lee was lost for the season during organized team activities, and the team traded for

hamstring injury.[12] He spent the bulk of training camp at outside linebacker, competing with Justin Durant and Kyle Wilber, before being moved back to middle linebacker. The Dallas Cowboys opted to trade for McClain and have Hitchens compete with him in training camp.[13] Head coach Jason Garrett named Hitchens the back up middle linebacker to McClain to begin the 2014 season.[11]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Cowboys' season-opener against the

pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games and nine starts.[17]

The Dallas Cowboys finished atop the

Matt Stafford. The line judge ultimately chose to overturn the penalty and the flag was disregarded without an immediate explanation on the field. After the game, referee Pete Morelli stated that the line judge determined there was not enough contact to warrant a penalty.[18][19] The next game, he collected six combined tackles during a 26–21 loss at the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round.[20]

2015

Hitchens was slated to become the strong side linebacker after the departure of Bruce Carter, but was switched to middle linebacker after McClain was suspended for the first four games.[21] He was named the starting middle linebacker, ahead of Jasper Brinkley, to begin the regular season.

In Week 2, Hitchens recorded five combined tackles and made his first career sack on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford during a 20–10 victory.[22] On October 4, 2015, he recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles and sacked Drew Brees in Dallas' 26–20 loss at the New Orleans Saints. On December 19, 2015, Hitchens started at middle linebacker in place of McClain who suffered an injury and collected ten combined tackles during a 19–16 loss to the New York Jets. He finished the 2015 season with a total of 67 combined tackles (40 solo), two sacks, and a defended pass in 16 games and nine starts as the Cowboys finished 4–12. His production was slightly decreased due to the return of Lee.[23]

2016

Hitchens began training camp competing with Kyle Wilber and Damien Wilson for the role as the strongside linebacker.[24] He took over the role as the Cowboys' starting middle linebacker after McClain was dealt a ten-game suspension after violating the performance-enhancing drugs policy.[25][26]

He started the Cowboys' season-opener at the New York Giants and collected six combined tackles in their 20–19 loss. On December 1, 2016, Hitchens recorded a season-high ten combined tackles, deflected a pass, and sacked Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford, as the Cowboys won 17–15. He finished the season with 78 combined tackles (39 solo), 1.5 sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games and 16 starts.[27] The Dallas Cowboys received a playoff berth after finishing atop the NFC East with a 13–3 record. On January 15, 2017, Hitchens started his first career playoff game and collected seven combined tackles in a 34–31 loss at the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round.[28]

2017

He received a considerable raise for the 2017 season after playing over 35% of the Dallas Cowboys' defensive snaps. His salary went from $690,000 to $1.84 million after qualifying for the Proven Performance Escalator. The Proven Performance Escalator was added to the rookie wage scale as a part of the

collective bargaining agreement in 2011 and applies to players who were drafted in the third to seventh round.[29]

Throughout training camp in 2017, Hitchens competed with Jaylon Smith to maintain his role as the starting middle linebacker. Hitchens was slated to start the season at middle linebacker, but suffered a tibial plateau fracture in the Cowboys' final preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. He was expected to miss up to eight weeks, but was able to return before Week 5.[30] On November 12, 2017, Hitchens recorded ten combined tackles in a 27–7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The following week, he moved over to weakside linebacker after Lee suffered a hamstring injury.[31] Hitchens went on to collect five combined tackles before suffering a groin injury, in the Cowboys 37–9 loss to the Eagles.[32] On November 30, 2017, Hitchens recorded a season-high 15 combined tackles in Dallas' 34–15 victory over the Redskins.[33] Hitchens finished the season with 84 combined tackles (55 solo), two pass deflections, and one forced fumble in 12 games and 12 starts.[34]

Hitchens became an unrestricted free agent in 2018 and was considered one of the top free agent linebackers available. He was heavily linked to the Colts due to his experience under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus who was his linebacker coach with the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys were interested in re-signing Hitchens, but were unable to offer a considerable contract.[35]

Kansas City Chiefs

2018

On March 15, 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Hitchens to a five-year, $45 million contract that includes $25.09 million and a signing bonus of $14 million.[36][37][38] Hitchens entered training camp slated as a starting inside linebacker and replaced Derrick Johnson. Head coach Andy Reid named Hitchens and Reggie Ragland the starting inside linebackers to begin the regular season. They began the season alongside outside linebackers Dee Ford and Justin Houston.[39]

External videos
video icon Anthony Hitchens stops Yeldon in tracks for a loss

He started in the Chiefs season-opener at the Los Angeles Chargers and collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (six solo) during a 38–28 victory. In Week 6, he tied his season-high of 14 combined tackles (six solo) as the Chiefs lost 43–40 at the New England Patriots. In Week 8, Hitchens sustained a rib injury during the fourth quarter of a 30–23 victory against the Denver Broncos.[40] The following week, he aggravated his rib injury and was subsequently sidelined for the Chiefs' Week 10 victory against the Arizona Cardinals. Hitchens finished the 2018 NFL season with a career-high 135 combined tackles (81 solo) and forced one fumble in 15 games and 15 starts.[34] His 135 tackles led the Kansas City Chiefs' defense and finished fifth among all players in 2018. He received an overall grade of 40.6 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 92nd among all linebackers in 2018.[41]

2019

In Week 7 against the Broncos, Hitchens recorded a team high 6 tackles and sacked Joe Flacco twice in the 30–6 win. One of his sacks resulted in a forced fumble which teammate Reggie Ragland returned for a touchdown.[42] Hitchens helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LIV where they defeated the 49ers 31–20. Hitchens recorded four combined tackles in the Super Bowl.[43]

2020

Hitchens was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Chiefs on December 22, 2020,[44] and activated on January 11, 2021.[45] Hitchens helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LV, but lost 31–9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hitchens recorded 1 tackle in the loss.

2021

Hitchens entered the 2021 season as the starting middle linebacker. He started 15 games, finishing second on the team with 80 tackles. He was released on February 22, 2022.[46]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds TD Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2014 DAL 16 11 75 59 16 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 8 8.0 8 0 4
2015 DAL 16 9 67 40 27 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2016 DAL 16 16 78 39 39 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2017 DAL 12 12 84 55 29 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2
2018 KC 15 15 135 81 54 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2019 KC 15 15 88 51 37 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2020 KC 14 14 78 44 34 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2021 KC 15 15 80 41 39 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 2
Career 119 107 605 369 236 5.5 4 0 0 0 1 8 8.0 8 0 10

References

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  2. ^ Anthony Hitchens – Yahoo Sports
  3. ^ "Anthony Hitchens College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Alfie Crow (February 25, 2014). "2014 NFL Combine results: Linebacker 40-yard dash and more". bigcatcountry.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "Hawkeye tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz draws attention at NFL pro day". desmoinesregister.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
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  7. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Anthony Hitchens". NFL.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  9. ^ MacMahon, Tim (May 12, 2014). "Why were Cowboys high on Hitchens?". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Anthony Hitchens: Current Contract". spotrac.com. June 2, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
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  30. NFL.com. Archived from the original
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  34. ^ a b "NFL Player stats: Anthony Hitchens (career)". NFL.com.
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