The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that the club has signed free agent linebacker Anthony Hitchens.

"Anthony has been a consistently tough football player in this league, and we are excited to add him to our defense," Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said. "He's versatile with great vision and also has strong cover skills."

"We believe Anthony has a lot of ability and a tremendous upside," Head Coach Andy Reid said. "He's a physical player that has consistently performed at a high level. He'll fit well into our defensive system."

Hitchens (6-0, 235) has played in 60 games (48 starts) in four NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2014-17). His career numbers include 301 tackles (190 solo), 21 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 14 pressures. He owns two forced fumbles, eight passes defensed and one interception. The Lorain, Ohio, native, originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection (119th overall) of the Cowboys in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Iowa.