Weston Dressler

Chiefs Release Nine Players, Place Commings On IR

Teams still have about 31 hours to trim their rosters to 75 players, and the Chiefs are getting an early start on the process by releasing nine players this morning, the team announced in a press release. Kansas City also placed second-year safety Sanders Commings on injured reserve, ending his season.

The Chiefs’ roster count sits at 78, meaning they need to make three more transactions before tomorrow’s 3pm deadline.

Chiefs Notes: Dressler, Smith, Johnson

Cousins David and DeMarcus Van Dyke have waited their entire lives to be on the same team. The time has finally come, as the two cornerbacks are now teammates on the Chiefs. There’s one problem, though: the players are competing for a roster spot.

The duo are two of ten cornerback candidates currently in Chiefs camp, and it’s no guarantee that either player makes the team. Even with all of the competition, the family members are still rooting for each other.

Via Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star:

May the best man win,” said DeMarcus. “I’ll be proud of him if he does make it, because I want him to win an opportunity in the NFL. He’s worked hard since little league to get here, so anything I can do to help him win a job, I’m down for it.”

“You have to compete for a job,” said David, “no matter what team you go to.”

DeMarcus was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2011 draft. He’s appeared in 25 career games. David was undrafted out of Tennessee State.

There’s a lot more going on in Kansas City. ESPN.com’s Chiefs writer Adam Teicher answered questions from readers this past weekend. Let’s see what he had to say…

  • Teicher believes it will be difficult for CFL veteran wide receiver Weston Dressler to make the roster. The writer says the drafting of De’Anthony Thomas “doomed” Dressler’s chances.
  • Teicher thinks the Chiefs will keep six wideouts:  Thomas, Donnie AveryDwayne Bowe, Junior HemingwayFrankie Hammond Jr. and A.J. Jenkins.
  • The writer doesn’t think Alex Smith will receive a contract approaching Jay Cutler‘s $126MM deal. He suggests a contract worth $14-$15MM annually, less than the $18MM that Cutler averages.
  • It wouldn’t surprise Teicher if the Chiefs hold on to four quarterbacks, especially if they don’t sign Alex Smith to an extension. Besides Smith, the team also has Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray.
  • The addition of linebacker Joe Mays is “an ominous sign” for Nico Johnson, the writer says.

Chiefs Notes: Ford, Thomas, Rookie Minicamp

Rookie minicamp starts for the Chiefs today, and with the signing of first-round pick Dee Ford, the team now has all its picks under contract two months before the start of training camp, ESPN’s Adam Teicher reports (via Twitter).

Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star lists five things to watch at this weekend’s camp, with No. 1 being the health of Aaron Murray, the former Georgia quarterback whom the Chiefs took in the fifth round of the recent NFL Draft. Paylor calls it perhaps the biggest story of camp, with Murray looking to challenge Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray for a spot on the roster and possibly the backup job to Alex Smith.

More notes from Chiefs’ rookie minicamp…

  • Ford will wear No. 55 after previously being issued No. 90, Teicher reports (via Twitter).
  • The team issued a roster showing fourth-round pick De’Anthony Thomas at No. 1, per Teicher, though Thomas will presumably have to wear a number between 20-49 for the regular season.
  • All of the team’s six draft picks are at rookie camp, Teicher tweeted.
  • In a series of tweets, Teicher and Paylor list the following players among the tryouts at camp: Kansas State long snapper Marcus Heit, Virginia Tech wide receiver Marcus Davis, Pittsburg State linebacker Nate Dreiling, Iowa cornerback B.J. Lowery, former Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver Weston Dressler and two developmental veterans, tight end Demetrius Harris and wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

D’Qwell Jackson was very impressed after meeting with the Broncos, but isn’t ready to make a decision, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. In another tweet, Klis mentions that Jackson is heading to Miami to meet with the Dolphins before also meeting with an unknown team. Jackson should make a decision by the end of the week, Klis says in a final tweet.

A couple of notes from around the AFC West…

  • Eric Decker is not an elite player and the Broncos likely won’t pay him like one, says Jeffri Chadiha of ESPN.com. According to Chadiha, Decker’s disappearance in the Super Bowl confirmed that Decker is a number two receiver, not a number one. The writer refers to a number of receivers who cashed in and then struggled with new teams, like Mike Wallace last season.
  • Chad Rinehart and Richard Marshall should receive attention from the Chargers, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Neither player would break the bank and they’d also fill holes in the team’s lineup, Williams says.
  • The Chiefs signed receiver Weston Dressler about a month ago, and Adam Teicher of ESPN.com warns to not overlook the acquisition. Teicher says that Dressler is insurance in case the team cannot retain free agent Dexter McCluster, but he also quotes coach Andy Reid saying “If you told me I could have two Dexter McClusters, that would be a good thing. I wouldn’t mind that at all.’’

Chiefs Sign Weston Dressler

THURSDAY, 10:47am: Dressler’s deal with the Chiefs is for three years, at the minimum salary, tweets Adam Teicher of ESPN.com.

TUESDAY, 3:29pm: The Chiefs have officially signed Dressler to a reserve/futures contract, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).

FRIDAY, 1:30pm: After winning a Grey Cup in 2013 with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, receiver Weston Dressler appears poised to sign with the Chiefs, according to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani (via Twitter). While the deal has yet to be made official, Dave Naylor of TSN Radio 1050 confirms that Dressler has reached an agreement with Kansas City.

Dressler, 28, was scheduled to become a free agent this offseason and had been exploring his NFL options. The two-time CFL All-Star has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark north of the border in each of the last four years, averaging 81 catches per season over that four-year span.

As Adam Teicher of ESPN.com notes, the addition of Dressler may not bode well for Dexter McCluster‘s future in Kansas City, since the two players fill similar roles — like McCluster, Dressler is an undersized receiver who returns kicks. Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets that the signing isn’t necessarily linked to McCluster’s free agency, adding that the Chiefs would like to bring him back, though cap space may be tight.