X’s and Oooh’s: The ups and downs of Memphis’s promising young LB duo

Each week, X’s and Oooh’s will bring you inside the game with some film analysis of a topic that caught my eye during the weekend slate of action.

In my pre-season position-by-position analysis of UFL teams, I wrote that I was intrigued by the young linebackers Memphis had collected. In particular, Zeke Vandenburgh and Steele Chambers were players I wanted to keep an eye on for the Showboats’ rebuilt defense under coordinator Jarren Horton.

Vandenburgh and Chambers traveled very different paths to reach this point. Vandenburgh played collegiately at FCS Illinois State, while Chambers, at Ohio State, competed on some of the biggest stages in all of college football.

A Buck Buchanan Award winner, given to the top defensive player at the FCS level, Vandenburgh was drafted by the Birmingham Stallions in 2023 before signing with the Miami Dolphins as an NFL undrafted free agent later that spring. He stuck around with Miami until this past summer, when he was injured during training camp and eventually waived.

One of the most sought-after free agents in the aftermath of the 2024 NFL Draft, Chambers ended up signing with the Detroit Lions. Later, he was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots, only to be let go at the end of training camp. Chambers was a popular name on the workout circuit during the season though he didn’t sign anywhere until Memphis came calling.

Through the first two games, the duo has shown flashes of promise while also making the kinds of youthful mistakes one would expect given their experience level. Currently, Chambers is the league leader in tackles, while Vandenburgh is tied for second. Against D.C., Chambers made 10 tackles and Vandenburgh seven. I wanted to take a look at where they played well against the Defenders, and where they have room for improvement.  

The Good

Take the first play from scrimmage for Memphis on defense. Chambers is lined up in the traditional middle linebacker spot (circled above) of the Showboats’ base 4-2-5 defense. He’s joined by Vandenburgh to his left.

As the play develops, Chambers flows to the ball and has to disengage from his blocker, Defenders center Michael Maietti, to successfully make the tackle on the running back. The ability to get off blocks is important for a linebacker, and Chambers tossed a very good interior lineman aside with relative ease.

Later in the first quarter, Vandenburgh showed off his run defense prowess on the play below:

While the instinct is likely to attack the line of scrimmage on a run play like this, Vandenburgh shows patience, avoiding blocks to free himself up to make the tackle, which he does after a short gain. Vandenburgh gets his eyes in the backfield to spot the location of the back, tracking him to the gap to make the stop. Excellent form on the wrap-up, by the way, which can be seen below.

The Not-So-Good

Keeping up with mobile quarterbacks in the UFL could be a problem for these two. Vandenburgh ran a 4.80 40-yard dash coming out of college, which would be a fine for someone rushing with their hand in the ground, but is problematic for someone asked to play in space. And Chambers’ Relative Athletic Score was just a 4.63 out of 10. In the second quarter, Ta’amu took advantage of that shortcoming:

Above, Chambers is responsible for his zone, but also likely responsible for keeping tabs on the quarterback, Ta’amu, who can run with it. Ta’amu sees the hole, and Chambers simply can’t get there fast enough to stop Ta’amu before he picks up 12 yards with his legs and a first down. Had Chambers not dropped so deep in coverage, he may have been able to at least keep Ta’amu from picking up the first.

On the very next play, this happened:

Both Vandenburgh and Chambers started the play with their heels on the 40-yard line. Ta’amu ran a play-action fake to the back, sucking the linebackers up about four yards. You can see, well after the fake and with Ta’amu already in a clean pocket looking downfield, the linebackers still haven’t recovered, putting them in a vulnerable position in coverage.

This angle shows the result. Ta’amu has an open passing lane to hit Chris Rowland crossing over the middle. Had Chambers not bitten so hard on play-action, he would’ve been in that passing lane, adding to the degree of difficulty of the throw had Ta’amu still wanted to go there with the ball.

Final Analysis

The young linebackers need to clean up their tackling (Pro Football Focus has Vandenburgh at six missed tackles through two games, Chambers with four) and their pass coverage, but there’s a lot to like about their instincts in the run game. These are the types of players in which experience in a spring league can be a benefit. It beats the alternative, which would be sitting at home and waiting for an NFL team to call. It’s early in the season, and as they get more comfortable in Jarren Horton’s defense, it’s going to be fun to watch them continue to develop.