Meet the Hybrids: A New Breed of NFL Linebacker
Meet the Hybrids: A New Breed of NFL Linebacker
More teams are finding flexibility in their concepts, especially four-down front dominant schemes. Meet the top box linebackers that moonlight as Edges in the NFL.
Over the past five years, one perceived trend in the NFL has been a shift to five-man fronts or a Base defensive structure found in a 3-4, but that isn’t exactly correct. The number of snaps from odd fronts has remained steady over the past three years. The rise in importance of the Edge position on defense has amplified the thinking that more teams are shifting to Odd Fronts to enhance their ability to gain one-on-one matchups outside—my five versus yours.
During this time, NFL offenses have also shifted to utilizing outside zone and away from traditional gap schemes and the inside zone (think Spread), leading to a shift in defensive philosophy. Play-action, especially on early downs and from under center, put defenses at a disadvantage. Defensive coordinators around the league had to adjust.
The reality is that NFL defenses have become more flexible and hybrid, not sticking to one defensive structure but creating different ‘formations’ that offensive coordinators and quarterbacks have to analyze. Many 3-4 teams will morph into a 4-2-5 Nickel defense in their sub-packages. 4-3 and 4-down Nickel-based defenses utilize the Penny Package or 5-1 alignment, where the defense subs out an ILB and replaces him with a coverage-first Ni defender.
Odd Fronts, in theory, allowed defenses to spread their anchor points out across the line of scrimmage and secure hard edges against outside runs. The rise in the use of the Penny Front (5-1) as a sub-package within 3-4 schemes has also been a favorite way to attack Spread-based offenses and even units that get into 12 personnel only to run 11 pers. schemes and passing concepts.
Inside, the defensive linemen clog the B-gaps, which are typically an RB’s escape routes in inside zone. The Nose also plays a ‘lag’ technique, slowing the Center down and keeping the second level clean. All three interior linemen play a knock-back fall-back technique, trying to reset the line of scrimmage and slow the offensive line down.
Against outside zone, Edges force everything back inside, not allowing RBs to roll out the front door and direct pressure on the quarterback if he pivots to run play-action (Boot). With cutback lanes and the front door of outside run concepts closed, the defense has forced the offense to change how it attacks the box.
Interestingly, offenses are not shying away from outside zone even though defenses are hypothetically set up to stop it. Looking at run concept trends in the NFL over the past five years, the only real trend is a shift from inside to outside zone by ~5% league-wide. Offenses feel comfortable running outside zone because they are more adept at utilizing pre-snap motion to create leverage by moving defenders, primarily against sub-packaged defenses that are now standard across the league.
In the Penny sub-package (above), there is only one ILB or Mike. The Nickel is usually a coverage-first defender because the box is gapped out; there is nowhere for him to fit. Because the box is typically gapped out, the defense is allowed to play their Safeties much deeper.
Middle-of-the-field disguises, especially from a static two-high shell, have been popular since the 2020 season when Vic Fangio (Eagles) and Brandon Staley (former Chargers HC) took the league by storm using a split-field alignment on ~80% of their snaps. With so much under-center play-action complementing outside zone runs, defenses began shifting their Safeties back, hiding their intentions.
The philosophy was for defenses to create one-on-ones against the offensive line, essentially going five-for-five and hoping one of their D-linemen won the rep. Offenses quickly figured out how to use pre-snap motion and other formations to move the single ILB and gain access to the middle of the box, where a Safety would have to drop from depth and play the A-gap.
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Odd Front teams have shifted with the trends on offense by utilizing stunts and Eagle Fronts (shift the Nose from head-up to a shade). Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris and Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero utilize Eagle Fronts in their front five-man alignments over the Tite Front (404) head-up alignments by others. Both also run most of their coverages from a two-high shell.
Five-man fronts are not dying out, though. The average NFL team runs a four-down front on ~55% of its snaps. Four-down teams like the Chiefs, Lions, Bears, and Saints have found clever ways to transition to five-man fronts with their base 4-3 personnel.
Utilizing off-ball or traditional linebackers with Edge skill sets has always been a way for four-down defenses to create other front structures. Recently, a subset of ILB has been used to develop hybridized defensive fronts. Some teams, like the Lions and Saints, have two or three ILBs that can morph into stand-up DEs. Here were the top five ‘box' linebackers in Edge usage in the NFL last season:
1) Jahlani Tavai (Patriots):
Bill Belichick is a master at developing players who couldn’t find homes on their original teams. The Patriots' defense, at times, looks like the Island of Misfit Toys, but they are consistently at the top of the NFL's DVOA charts. Last year, New England only had one Pro Bowler, Edge Matthew Judon, but it was one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Jahlani Tavai exemplifies how Belichick can take a player essentially thrown away by their original team and turn them into a starter in the NFL. Though Tavai is listed as an off-ball LB, he played the most snaps of any LB at Edge in ‘23. 36% of the time, Tavia was aligned on the ball.
Though the Patriots were a 4-3 base on paper, Tavai allowed Belichick to get into Odd Front looks without subbing and tipping their game plan to opponents. Tavai is the 45th-best LB according to Field Vision’s Havoc Ratings heading into the ‘24 season. The utility LB doesn’t excel at any one thing but is a solid contributor across the board.
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» Week 1: Tavai played Edge on 12 of his 37 snaps against the Bengals.
» 2023’s Option #2: Tavai wasn’t the only off-ball LB on the Patriots’ roster in ‘23 that was used in a ‘Joker’ role. Mack Wilson Sr. signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, another team that uses hybrid alignments. Wilson led the NFL’s LBs in Field Vision’s Pass Rush Havoc last season. The hybrid LB should give the Cardinals some juice on passing downs as a blitz and pass rush specialist. Something they desperately need. In Arizona’s Week 1 matchup with the Bills, all of Wilson’s 13 snaps came as an Edge.
2) Kaden Elliss (Falcons):
Though Kaden Elliss didn’t play a large percentage of his plays as an on-ball Edge (~20%), he accumulated the second most snaps behind Tavai. The Falcons have struggled for several years to find a decent pass rush, and Elliss was a way for former defensive coordinator Shane Neilsen (Jaguars) to create different looks for opponents.
Instead of using another Edge, Neilsen used Elliss as a fifth rusher in their Nickel and base 4-3 packages. Elliss was the sixth best in Field Vision’s Pass Rush Havoc ratings for off-ball LBs. In his first year in Atlanta, the off-ball LB accumulated four total sacks.
New Head Coach Raheem Morris is accustomed to using off-ball LBs in his pass-rushing concepts. Last year, current Titans’ LB Earnest Jones IV garnered 4.5 sacks in Morris’ scheme (he was traded right after the preseason). Look for Elliss to be utilized by DC Jimmy Lake similarly throughout the year.
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» Week 1: The Falcons used Elliss on the line of scrimmage for 15 of his 69 total snaps.
3) Derrick Barnes (Lions):
The Lions are similar to the Patriots in that, on paper, they are a 4-3 defense. Off-ball LB Derrick Barnes allows DC Aaron Glenn to hop in and out of even and odd front defenses. Barnes accumulated 195 snaps on the line of scrimmage last year, placing him third in the NFL.
Barnes didn’t have much production last year, but it was used as a tool to keep rookie ILBs Jack Campbell and veteran Alex Anzalone in traditional positions. In the clip above, Barnes seamlessly bounces from on to off-ball, even attacking the ball at the point of attack. According to Field Vision, Barnes is the 60th-ranked LB heading into the ‘24 season.
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» Week 1: Barnes played as an Edge on 23 of his 69 snaps versus the Rams.
» 2023’s Option #2: It wasn’t just Barnes that Glenn utilized in an on-ball role. Rookie Jack Campbell lined up as an Edge on 161 snaps, only missing our list by one snap.
4) Leo Chenal (Chiefs):
The Chiefs are a 4-3 defense, and similar to other teams in the league, they manufacture ways to get into Odd Front looks. KC’s Leo Chenal is accustomed to being a hybrid off-ball LB. It is a position he played well at Wisconsin. He had 168 Edge snaps on the field last season. On multiple occasions, Kansas City utilized Chenal and other ILBs to create Bear Front looks in their Odd Stack package.
Against the Ravens this past weekend, the team utilized its Odd Stack (3-3-5) package on 25% of its snaps. Chenal and LB Dru Tranquill aligned as Edges, creating a Penny look (5-1) against Baltimore’s 11 pers. formations. The package has been a way for DC Steve Spagnuolo to create even more ways to make offenses work.
Using Chenal as a hybrid Edge allows the Chiefs to keep Nick Bolton and Dru Tranquill in off-ball placements. Chenal is an above-average pass rusher (32nd in Field Vision’s Pass Rush Havoc) and gives the Chiefs a hybrid defender that DC Steve Spagnuolu can use to cause matchup issues. The former Badger finished last year with three sacks.
In Week 1 versus the Ravens, Chenal’s multiplicity was on full display. Spags aligned the hybrid LB everywhere, using his skill set to change the front for the Chiefs. He even played the ‘spy’ verus Lamar Jackson on obvious passing downs.
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» Week 1: Chenal played Edge on 20 of his 48 snaps versus the Ravens.
» 2023’s Option #2: If Chenal wasn’t in the game as the Chiefs’ hybrid Sam LB, Willie Gay Jr. replaced him. Gay eclipsed the 100 snap mark as an on-ball LB and, similarly to Chenal, was used as a quasi-fifth lineman when the Chiefs wanted to get into an Odd Front. This past offseason, Gay signed with the Saints, where he will most likely fit into a similar role.
5) Pete Werner (Saints):
Pete Werner doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of a hybrid off-ball LB because of his elite man coverage skills. He’s primarily utilized as a coverage LB and fits perfectly into the Saints man-heavy scheme. Field Vision has the former Buckeye as fourth in man coverage Havoc. But his 162 snaps at Edge place him fifth on our list.
Head Coach Dennis Allen has traditionally been an Even Front coach but utilizes Werner’s hybrid skillset to create matchup issues up front. With the addition of Willie Gay Jr. from the Chiefs, it will be interesting to see if Werner transitions back to playing mainly off-ball or in a rotational role with Gay. I’d argue that he will.
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» Week 1: Werener only played one snap of true Edge against the Panthers.
» 2023’s Option #2: The Saints now have three hybrid off-ball LBs on their roster. Willie Gay Jr. will come from Kansas City, but the Saints already had a walk-down LB in Nephi Sewell. Werner makes it three. Playing primarily on early downs, Sewell’s central role was to hold the strong side edge as a walked up 9 technique outside the TE. Gay will be the primary starter this season, and Sewell will be starting on the PUP list. The Saints, who primarily want to run Cover 1, appear to want to run more Base defense with three LBs on the field. Gay allows them to get into odd spacing from their 4-3 personnel. He had nine total snaps against the Panthers in Week 1, four of them as an Edge.
Week 1 Spotlight:
» Zack Baun: The Eagles already have a two-deep of primary Edges in Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, and Nolan Smith. Still, Vic Fangio found a way to use Zach Baun, a former OLB in the Saints’ 4-3, in various ways near the box. Baun played a majority of his snaps at Edge in New Orleans last year, and it appears Fangio is utilizing his unique skill set in Philly. The hybrid LB played in 58/67 snaps against the Packers, with 13 pass rushes that accounted for a Pressure Rate of 23% and 2 sacks (NFL Pro). He aligned at the right Edge and as a mugged LB in the Eagles’ 3rd Down package 13 times.
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» Frankie Luvu: The Commanders LB had 56 total snaps against the Buccaneers in Week 1. He was primarily used as an off-ball LB, but he did have 14 snaps as an Edge. On his 10 pass rush snaps, he created one total pressure. Still, Luvu is one of the better pass-rushing LBs in the NFL and was brought in to play beside Bobby Wagner. The hybrid LB will consistently be near the top in Edge usage for off-ball LBs.
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» More positional trends? Check out last week’s article on the ‘Big Nickel’:
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Great Work! This reminds me of the Leo position at Oklahoma State