Chiefs Place Xavier Williams On IR
It’s official. On Wednesday, the Chiefs placed defensive tackle Xavier Williams on injured reserve. 
Williams may or may not be a candidate to return later this year. Initial reports indicated that his high ankle sprain could rule him out for 4-6 weeks, which would allow him to return after a minimum of eight weeks on IR.
The Chiefs are also waiting for word on Chris Jones‘ groin strain, so it’s a double dose of defensive holes for the Chiefs. In the meantime, they’ve added defensive tackle Terrell McClain to help fill the gap, as well as offensive lineman Stefan Wisniewski.
Williams posted had eight tackles and one forced fumble in the first five games of the season. Last year, he saw time in every KC contest.
Chiefs To Sign Stefen Wisniewski, Terrell McClain
The Chiefs, who are dealing with injuries to their O-line, are signing veteran Stefen Wisniewski, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets that the club is also adding a vet to their defensive front, Terrell McClain.
Wisniewski spent the last three years with the Eagles, who declined his 2019 option in March. He drew some interest on the open market, and Philly re-signed him in May, but he did not survive final cutdowns.
The 6’3″, 305-pound lineman offers experience at both guard and center and will, at the very least, provide veteran competence off the bench. He may also get a spot start here and there, and he has started at least six games per season since entering the league in 2011.
McClain, meanwhile, spent 2018 with the Falcons and appeared in 13 games. He hooked on with the Cardinals this offseason but, like Wisniewski, was cut at the end of August. He will likely become part of the Chiefs’ D-line rotation right away given that Chris Jones and Xavier Williams are both expected to miss time.
Both men have become NFL journeymen. The Chiefs will be McClain’s seventh team and Wisniewski’s fourth.
The Chiefs have also waived T Ryan Hunter.
Chiefs’ Xavier Williams Headed To IR?
Heads up for teams facing the Chiefs over the next 4-6 weeks: X might not be available to give it to ya. Nose tackle Xavier Williams has been diagnosed with a fairly severe high ankle sprain that will likely rule him out for 4-6 weeks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Even if 4-6 weeks is the timetable, Pelissero hears that he could be a candidate for injured reserve.
The league’s IR mandates at least an eight-week absence, which would keep Williams out of action until the late stages of the regular season in December. That’d be a bad blow for the Chiefs, particularly as fellow defensive lineman Chris Jones awaits word on his groin strain. Both Jones and Williams suffered their injuries in Sunday’s loss to the Colts.
Through five weeks, Williams has eight total tackles. He played on roughly 1/3rd of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps through two weeks and saw a serious uptick in Week 3 against the Ravens (44%) and Week 4 against the Lions (49%).
Williams, if nothing else, will be out for Week 6 against the Texans.
Injury Updates: Chiefs, Giants, Shepard
Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones suffered a groin strain in Sunday night’s game, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. After the results of his MRI come in, the Chiefs will know whether Jones will miss games.
Jones, 25, has two sacks through five games this year. Last season, he was phenomenal and finished with a career-high 40 tackles and 15.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him fifth among 112 interior defenders, with his pass-rushing score ranking second at the position.
While we wait to hear whether Jones will miss the Chiefs’ Week 6 game against the Texans, or anything beyond that, here’s more from around the NFL:
- Chiefs defensive tackle Xavier Williams has a badly sprained ankle, Rapoport tweets. It’s a certainty that he’ll miss time, but the timetable has yet to be fleshed out.
- Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard is back in the concussion protocol, yet again (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan). This is Shepard’s second concussion this season, so it could be a while before he gets back on the field. Shepard had five catches for 49 yards against the Vikings in Week 5, bringing his season stat line to 25/267/1.
- In more positive Chiefs news: guard Andrew Wylie (ankle) got good news on his Monday X-rays.
GMs Expecting Active Trade Deadline
The NFL has experienced a dramatic rise in significant trades over the past several years, and there may be a few noteworthy swaps going down this month as we get closer to the October 29 trade deadline. Indeed, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says there is a sense among general managers that we may see more trades in advance of this year’s deadline than ever before, largely because there is a larger gulf between pretenders and contenders than in seasons past (indeed, there are still six winless teams, which is the highest number at this point in the season since the 1970 merger).
La Canfora says the teams most actively laying groundwork for potential deals are the Saints, Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, Patriots, and Seahawks. Of course, a number of those clubs have already been pursuing Jacksonville CB Jalen Ramsey, and the Saints, Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs are casting a wide net for cornerback upgrades.
One of this year’s still-winless clubs, the Broncos, are reportedly more open to moving veteran pieces than they were last year, as La Canfora writes in a separate piece, with Derek Wolfe, Chris Harris, and Emmanuel Sanders all generating interest. Wolfe could make sense for Baltimore, and the Saints are expected to renew their pursuit of Sanders. Even Von Miller could be on the block, per La Canfora, especially since all of his major bonuses and guarantees have already been paid. Miller, 30, is reportedly open to a change of scenery at this point, but Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says the Broncos will not trade him (video link). However, the other players mentioned above could be available if Denver continues to scuffle.
But while Denver may be willing to talk shop, rival GMs are skeptical that the 0-4 Bengals, led by old-school owner Mike Brown, will be amenable to moving big-name vets despite their fading fortunes. La Canfora’s sources say Cincinnati could net a first-round pick for WR A.J. Green if the acquiring club is able to work out a new contract with him as a condition of the trade (and if Green recovers from his foot injury soon). The Patriots and Saints could make a push for Green or Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, and Cincy could also swing deals for players like Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap if the club is willing to listen to offers.
Like fellow winless outfits Denver and Cincinnati, the Jets could be active in shopping veteran players in advance of the deadline. La Canfora specifically names Kelechi Osemele and Leonard Williams as players who could be on the move, though he says there has been no trade chatter surrounding Le’Veon Bell at this point.
Finally, though the 0-4 Redskins have been steadfastly refusing to trade Trent Williams, some believe that the team will relent at some point and will ship Williams to a contender in need of O-line help.
Damien Williams Week 5 Return Expected
Although Tyreek Hill returned to practice this week, the Chiefs‘ offense will continue to operate without its premier wide receiver Sunday. The Chiefs ruled out Hill, but Damien Williams is expected to return to action, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Kansas City’s starting running back missed the past two games with a knee injury, leading to LeSean McCoy and second-year back Darrel Williams splitting time in the backfield. Damien Williams amassed 154 scrimmage yards and scored in the Chiefs’ divisional-round win over the Colts last season. Signs point to Hill returning in Week 6.
Chiefs Activate CB Morris Claiborne
The Chiefs have activated cornerback Morris Claiborne after the completion of his four-game suspension, the club announced today. In a corresponding move, guard Jeff Allen has been released.
Kansas City inked Claiborne to a one-year, $2MM deal in August with the knowledge that he was facing a four-game ban after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. At present, it’s unclear if Claiborne will immediately factor into the Chiefs’ plans on defense. Kansas City currently ranks ninth in pass defense DVOA, and each of the club’s top three corners — Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward, and Kendall Fuller — have graded among Pro Football Focus‘ top-64 CBs, so Claiborne might not be needed right off the bat.
Claiborne, 29, has a concerning injury history, as he played in only 47 of a possible 80 games during the first five years of his career. But he managed to stay healthy during his past two years on the Jets roster, appearing in 30 games and playing nearly 2,000 defensive snaps since 2017. Last season, Claiborne posted two interceptions and ranked as a top-25 corner in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
Allen, meanwhile, was in the midst of his second stint with the Chiefs, with whom he’s spent six of his eight NFL campaigns. This year, Allen hadn’t played at all on the offensive side of the ball, and had seen only a handful of special teams snaps.
Latest On Jags’ Jalen Ramsey Asking Price
After more than a week of trade buzz, with rumors pointing to another blockbuster deal, the Jaguars are standing firm on Jalen Ramsey. And the asking price is rising.
Shad Khan has now said he is willing to make Ramsey the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback and that the organization has no plans to deal the fourth-year cornerback. While we’ve seen teams buckle on such stances recently, like the Giants before their Odell Beckham Jr. trade, per Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link) it will take an “astronomical” offer to get Ramsey out of Jacksonville.
More specifically, the previously reported Jags price of two first-rounders has moved to “two firsts and then some,” Caplan adds. This comes after a recent report indicated Jacksonville turned down a contending team’s offer of two first-rounders. Ramsey has not practiced since the Jaguars’ Week 3 win over the Titans, which was the same day his interview discussing issues with Jacksonville’s front office surfaced. He has since reiterated his desire to be traded on multiple occasions.
The Chiefs, Chargers and Ravens have been recent teams to express interest, with SI.com’s Albert Breer tabbing Kansas City as one of Ramsey’s preferred destinations. Ramsey is tied to the Jaguars through 2020. The team that said it will not give him an extension this year is, for now, holding the standout corner to that pact and fending off interest from most of the NFL.
It’s possible the Jags believe they can entice a team to pay more for the standout corner, with a few contenders in need of boundary-coverage help. The most notable return any team has received for a corner in recent years was the package of first- and fourth-round picks the Jets obtained from the Buccaneers in the 2013 Darrelle Revis trade. But with a less accomplished player like Laremy Tunsil fetching two 1s, this is a situation worth monitoring.
Tyreek Hill Returns To Practice
Tyreek Hill is almost back. The Chiefs’ star receiver returned to practice Wednesday, Kansas City’s head coach Andy Reid announced to the media.
Hill suffered a serious clavicle injury in the first game of the season during Kansas City’s win over Jacksonville, and had to be taken to the hospital. The initial reporting was that Hill would miss a few weeks, but obviously it’s turned into longer than that. Hill has now missed the past four games, but appears to be getting closer to a return. Reid didn’t say anything about Hill potentially playing this week against the Colts, although recent reporting would indicate that’s unlikely.
Just a few days ago ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hill was likely still at least a couple of weeks away, and that the Chiefs weren’t going to rush him. That makes sense, as Kansas City has managed to remain undefeated without him. Still though, the offense could definitely use a boost. The Chiefs very nearly lost to the Lions last week, and Patrick Mahomes failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 5 of last year. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything more on Hill’s progress.
Chiefs In On Jalen Ramsey?
- Peter King of Football Morning in America writes that the Chargers might get into the Jalen Ramsey sweepstakes. The writer believes adding a top defensive player would be a savvy move as the organization prepares for a new stadium in 2020. King adds that he “still think[s]” that the Chiefs and Ravens are also involved in talks with the Jaguars. We heard earlier this week that the Jaguars rejected a trade that would have netted them a pair of late first-rounders.
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