BIOGRAPHY
Reggie Keith Ragland Jr. was born on September 23rd, 1993, in Reading, Pennsylvania. He is a Linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL.
Ragland attended Bob Jones High School, where he was a varsity player in football. Mostly playing defense as a junior, he recorded 91 tackles in 2010 with 21 tackles-for-loss. Bob Jones went 8–4 over the season. In his senior season, Ragland was credited with 97 tackles with 22 tackles-for-loss and six sacks.
As a true freshman on Alabama's 2012 championship team, Ragland played in 10 games, primarily on special teams, and was credited with eight tackles, including five solo stops, and a forced fumble. In his sophomore season, he appeared in 13 games and compiled 17 sacks on the season as a back-up to C. J. Mosley.
He recorded 95 tackles on the season, which ranked second on the team behind only Landon Collins. Ragland also had 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a team-high three fumble recoveries. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after a career-high 13 tackles against Louisiana State.
On January 21, 2016, it was announced that Ragland had accepted his invitation to play in the 2016 Senior Bowl. The Buffalo Bills selected Ragland in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. On May 24, 2016, the Bills signed Ragland to a four-year contract.
On August 28, 2017, Ragland was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Head coach Andy Reid named Ragland the backup inside linebacker behind Ramik Wilson to start the regular season.
Ragland was inactive for the first three games while he became familiar with the defense. On October 2, 2017, Ragland made his NFL debut and first career start in a 29-20 victory against the Washington Redskins. He made his first career tackle with teammate Frank Zombo, as they both tackled Robert Kelley to stop a three-yard run. Head coach Andy Reid stated that Ragland was started over a healthy Ramik Wilson so they could see what he had to offer. He remained the starting inside linebacker, opposite Derrick Johnson, for the remainder of the season. On November 19, 2017, Ragland made a season-high nine combined tackles in a 12-9 loss at the New York Giants. The following week, he tied his season-high of nine combined tackles during a 16-10 loss against his former team, the Buffalo Bills. Ragland was a healthy scratch for the Chiefs' Week 17 matchup at the Denver Broncos and finished the 2017 season with 44 combined tackles (31 solo) in 12 games and ten starts. The Kansas City Chiefs finished the 2017 season atop the AFC West with a 10-6 record and received a playoff berth. On January 6, 2018, Ragland started his first career playoff game and collected nine combined tackles in a 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans. In 2018, Ragland played in 16 games with 15 starts, finishing second on the team with 86 combined tackles, a half sack, and an interception.
In week 7 of the 2019 season against the Denver Broncos, Ragland recorded a sack on Joe Flacco and recovered a fumble forced on Flacco by teammate Anthony Hitchens and returned it for a touchdown in the 30-6 win.[36] Ragland helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. Ragland recorded 2 tackles in the game. On April 7, 2020, Ragland signed with the Detroit Lions. On March 20, 2021, Ragland signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants.
