Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/18
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted to active roster: T Blaine Clausell
- Placed on injured reserve: TE Chris Manhertz
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB C.J. Spiller
- Promoted to active roster: WR Marcus Kemp
- Placed on injured reserve: RB Akeem Hunt, WR De’Anthony Thomas
Colts, Bears Request To Interview Matt Nagy
Both the Colts and Bears have put in requests to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Nagy, who is only 39 years old, had been considered a “hot” name within NFL circles, and with good reason. In his first season as Kansas City’s solo coordinator (he split duties with veteran coach Brad Childress prior to 2017), Nagy ran one of the more innovative offenses in the NFL. Utilizing weapons such as Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Kareem Hunt, Nagy helped the Chiefs finish third in offensive DVOA.
That the Colts would express interest in Nagy should come as no surprise, as Indy general manager Chris Ballard spent several seasons as an executive in Kansas City. Nagy is the fifth candidate to be linked to the Colts, joining Josh McDaniels, Mike Vrabel, Steve Wilks, and Kris Richard. The Bears, meanwhile, have been tied to Nagy, McDaniels, Wilks, Pat Shurmur, and John DeFilippo.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Lucas Crowley, WR Rannell Hall
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: RB Aaron Green
- Waived: S L.J. McCray
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Daniel Braverman
Chiefs’ Tamba Hali Leaning Towards Retirement
This could be the end of the line for Tamba Hali. The Chiefs outside linebacker hasn’t made a formal decision, but he sounds like he’s inclined to retire this offseason. 
“I don’t want to speak on it, and then I don’t want to run away from the question,” Hali said (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star). “I don’t want to say I’m not gonna play, because the way I feel two weeks out of football, I’ll probably be ready to play. But I would say I’m leaning more towards (being with) my family.”
Hali has spent his entire 12-year career with the Chiefs, but there’s no guarantee that he would be back with the team next year even if he wanted to continue playing. He’s slated to carry a hefty $9.7MM cap hit next year – an exorbitant amount of money for a player who missed most of the year due to injury. By releasing Hali, the Chiefs can (and will) save $8MM of that total.
If Hali were to play elsewhere, he says he would first have to secure the blessing of his family. Although he would like to reach 100 career sacks (he currently has 89.5), he might not want to start anew in order to make it happen. Instead, he may move on to the next phase of his life, which includes the making of Dance/African/ Caribbean music.
Before Hali thinks about his next great beat, however, he has bigger fish to fry. The Chiefs face the Titans on Saturday for the right to advance to the divisional round.
Colts HC Candidates Include Dave Toub, Matt Nagy
- Colts GM Chris Ballard has strong ties to several members of the Chiefs‘ coaching staff — special teams coach Dave Toub and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that both men will get consideration for Indianapolis’ head coaching job. La Canfora points out, however, that Colts owner Jim Irsay may prefer to make a “splashier” hire if possible.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/30/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Quan Bray
- Cut: CB Lorenzo Doss
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Toby Johnson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Andrew Wylie
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Mykkele Thompson
Chiefs To Start Patrick Mahomes In Week 17
The Chiefs won the AFC West in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history, and they’ll have a unique opportunity to gauge their first-round pick’s development because of their spot in the AFC standings.
Being locked into the No. 4 seed, the Chiefs will start Patrick Mahomes against the Broncos, Andy Reid said (via B.J. Kissel of KCChiefs.com, on Twitter). Mahomes has yet to play this season, but with the 9-6 Chiefs guaranteed to play in the 4-5 game next weekend, it marks an interesting chance to see Mahomes in action.
Alex Smith has been the Chiefs’ starter for the past five seasons. Smith’s been the longest-tenured Chiefs starter since Trent Green, but he has just one season remaining on his contract and saw Kansas City trade up from No. 28 to No. 10 to select Mahomes — their first first-round quarterback investment since 1983. Reid said Smith is having an “MVP-caliber” season and understands the team’s situation going into a meaningless Week 17 game in Denver (Twitter link via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star).
So, it doesn’t sound like the Chiefs will have a Doug Flutie/Rob Johnson situation on their hands this weekend, regardless of how Mahomes performs (the 1999 Bills played Johnson in a meaningless regular-season finale then started the younger player over the incumbent in the Music City Miracle loss to the Titans in what’s turned out to be their most recent playoff game).
Mahomes will take the first-team reps in practice this week, with Smith running the scout team, Reid said (via Paylor, on Twitter). The Texas Tech product will face the Broncos’ 2016 first-round pick, Paxton Lynch, who will be making his second start of the season. While Lynch will be going against a backup-laden Chiefs defense, with Reid set to rest starters (Twitter link via Paylor), Mahomes will face a Broncos defense that’s been one of the best in the NFL this season.
Will Mahomes Start In Week 17?
- With their win yesterday, the Chiefs have clinched the AFC West and the fourth seed in the AFC. This means that rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes could get the start or at least see a lot of playing time in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Broncos. But as expected, head coach Andy Reid wasn’t tipping his hand about how the team will approach the QB position next week. “We’ll get through Christmas and then we’ll get on with that,” Reid said. There had been some speculation that Reid may turn to Mahomes during the team’s midseason losing streak, but veteran Alex Smith has bounced back in a big way and led Kansas City to their second straight division title. Mahomes has been playing with the scout team and would probably be well served in getting some actual playing time in his first professional season.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/22/17
Here’s today’s workout updates. All credit goes to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Denver Broncos
- P Alex Knight (Twitter link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- OL Stephen Evans (Twitter link)
Los Angeles Rams
- WR Brandon Shippen (Twitter link)
Minnesota Vikings
- P Taylor Symmank (Twitter link)
Chiefs Audition P Taylor Symmank
- The Chiefs worked out punter Taylor Symmank on Friday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).