Kyle Kennard didn’t get much of a chance with the LA Chargers, and I think that’s why he is a player worth looking into for the Cowboys.
In Los Angeles, he only played 80 defensive snaps as a rookie last season. Maybe the Chargers saw something in practice and knew what they had, but from the outside looking in, that’s not much of a sample for a 24-year-old edge rusher.
I may be missing something, but this guy was one of the best defensive players in the SEC two years ago at the University of South Carolina.
I don’t want Dallas to bring this kid in and act like he’s a future starter, just see if there’s some untapped potential.
Dallas does have the perfect mentor on the roster.
Kyle Kennard Has Something to Work With
Kyle Kennard wasn’t one of those prospects where his traits at the combine outperformed his production.
At the University of South Carolina in 2024, he had 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss, leading the SEC in both categories. Then he won SEC Defensive Player of the Year and took home the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
He went into the NFL combine and measured 6’4” and 254 pounds with 34-inch arms. Kyle Kennard has the length, a good first step, and enough burst to give tackles issues when he has room to work.
Are there holes in his game? Sure, what would be expected from a fourth round pick? I found he needs to work on his hand placement, pass rush moves, and he struggled when tackles got their hands to his chest. If his first move didn’t work, he didn’t really have another.
But that’s fourth round pick stuff and those are things you can develop.
The Chargers Never Got Much Out of Kyle Kennard
I found that Kyle Kennard only played five games for the Chargers as a rookie, without a start. Then his second season’s training camp was cut short by an injury. This led to the Chargers initially putting him on IR before waiving him with an injury settlement.
I don’t know what happened in Los Angeles, maybe the Chargers just ran out of room for him.
What we never saw was Kyle Kennard getting hundreds of NFL snaps and proving he could or couldn’t play. He’s barely got started.
That’s why I don’t look at this guy as a reclamation project, but more as an unfinished one.
Von Miller Could Finish the Job
Kyle Kennard has something that can’t be taught: size and length. What he needs is help with everything that happens after an NFL tackle gets their hands on him.
Von Miller has 138.5 career sacks and more than a decade of experience dealing with tackle sets, protection schemes, and adjustments. That is the stuff Kennard needs to learn.
Miller isn’t going to just show him a couple moves after practice and suddenly create a starting pass rusher, but he can teach him the little things that take years to learn.
I’m talking about how to set up a tackle early and come back with a different move to get free. I want him to learn when to win with speed and then use power. Use his hands better and build one rush after another.
Von Miller has already talked about mentoring the young pass rushers in Dallas. Kyle Kennard seems like another guy who could benefit from that tutelage.
Christian Parker Can Find a Role
Christian Parker’s defense will help too.
As we all know, and will see this Sunday, Dallas is moving to a multiple front with plenty of 3-4 structure, which will give Parker some freedom with where and how Kyle Kennard could be used.
I wouldn’t ask Kennard to be a 3-down outside linebacker right away. Get him wide one passing downs, stand him up and move him around. Parker could give him situations where his first step and length would help.
Then let Chidera Uzo-Diribe work on the rest.
Kyle Kennard has to improve against the run, but if that and the other things we talked about improve, Dallas could have another pass rusher with the traits this team loves.
Kyle Kennard is Worth the Gamble
I’m not putting Kyle Kennard ahead of anyone on this team right now. If anything, he would be even with Tyrus Wheat and Isaiah Land, but with more to work with.
I would be looking further down the road with this guy.
Kyle Kennard is only 24 with the measurables and the high-end production from the best conference in NCAA football that coaches usually want on their team.
I don’t think there is enough there yet in the NFL to know what kind of player he is, but Dallas has a new defensive system, a pass rushing specialist, and a veteran mentor willing to help the young guys.
Maybe Kyle Kennard develops into something more than what the Chargers saw. I’d rather find out than assume 80 snaps told this young man’s whole NFL story.
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