Justin Houston, Jeremy Maclin Out Sunday
Although the Chiefs activated linebacker Justin Houston from the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, he won’t play Sunday in Carolina, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com was among those to report (Twitter links). Houston has been recovering from an ACL injury that has kept him out all season, but he didn’t suffer a setback this week, per Teicher. Instead, the Chiefs want to give the pass-rushing force another week to work his way back.
Kansas City has impressively gone 6-2 without Houston, who has racked up 56 sacks and eight forced fumbles in 70 career games. Its defense could use a reinforcement, though, as it currently hovers around league average in DVOA (11th), yardage allowed (16th), quarterback hurries (20th) and sacks (21st). Four of the Chiefs’ final eight games are against AFC West foes, including a pair of matchups with the 6-3 Broncos, so Houston’s eventual return could make a significant impact in what should be a tightly contested division race.
In addition to Houston, the Chiefs won’t have No. 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin in Carolina, head coach Andy Reid said Friday (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Maclin left in the first quarter of the Chiefs’ game against the Jaguars last Sunday with a groin injury, but the team managed to pull off a 19-14 win without him and quarterback Alex Smith. The latter will be back in Kansas City’s lineup this week, but he’ll have to make do without the club’s top wideout. Among Chiefs, Maclin trails only tight end Travis Kelce in catches (30) and receiving yards (376). Maclin leads the team in targets (56) and has scored a pair of touchdowns.
Alex Smith’s Future With Chiefs In Doubt?
The Chiefs are proponents of quarterback Alex Smith‘s mistake-free style, but they’re skeptical of his ability to help lead them to a championship, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Therefore, general manager John Dorsey & Co. will use the rest of the campaign to evaluate Smith and could then make a “major change” under center in the offseason, reports Cole.
At 6-2, the Chiefs are on track to make their third playoff trip in four years under Smith, whom they acquired from the 49ers before the 2013 season. During his four seasons in Kansas City, Smith has completed 64 percent of his 1,675 passes with 7.2 yards per attempt, 69 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. The 2005 No. 1 overall pick has posed a threat as a rusher, too, having accounted for 1,214 ground yards and five scores on 5.3 yards per carry. Smith has run just 19 times for 31 yards this year, however, and he missed the Chiefs’ 19-14 win over the Jaguars last Sunday with a head injury. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old has been durable as a Chief, having sat out just three regular-season games out of 56. In the 53 contests Smith has played, the Chiefs have gone a terrific 35-18.
While Kansas City has been victorious in only one of three playoff games with Smith at the helm, it’s nonetheless difficult to envision the organization cutting ties with him after the season. Releasing Smith would open up $9.7MM in cap space, but it would also leave $7.2MM in dead money. More importantly, the Chiefs would have a tough time finding a capable replacement. Backup Nick Foles is signed through next season, and he has fared well in Smith’s place this year, but he previously flamed out in both Philadelphia and St. Louis. The Chiefs also won’t have a high first-round pick with which to draft a ready-made successor to Smith, and – with the possible exception of Kirk Cousins – there won’t be anyone in Smith’s class available in free agency.
All things considered, it seems KC would be wise to give Smith at least another year. The team could move on from Smith prior to 2018, the final year of the extension he signed in 2014, and save $17MM in spending space against $3.6MM in dead cap.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/9/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Scott Simonson, OT Pearce Slater
- Cut: TE Beau Sandland
- Placed On IR: DT Eric Crume
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Cornelius Edison
- Cut: OL Colin Kelly
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Ryan Murphy
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Jeff Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Tevaun Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Earl Okine, CB Terrance Mitchell
- Cut: CB Tyler Patmon
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE MyCole Pruitt
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Brian Dixon
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR George Farmer
Chiefs Activate Justin Houston
Linebacker Justin Houston has been activated from the PUP list, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. However, Houston’s status for this Sunday’s game against the Panthers is still uncertain.
[POLL: Who Will Win The AFC West?]
“We’ll see how he does this week,” Reid said on Monday. “He’ll let me know on that, how he feels. He’s obviously been cleared to play, but there is more to it than that. You have to make sure that you’re right and you have opportunities to practice and get yourself back. We’re not in a hurry there. We just want to make sure he’s safe going out there and playing.”
Houston, who has missed the duration of the 2016 campaign while recovering from an ACL injury, was cleared to practice in mid-October. Under the rules of the physically unable to perform list, a player must be activated within three weeks of starting practice again, or else be kept on reserve PUP (essentially injured reserve) for the remainder of the year. Houston, therefore, will take up a roster spot regardless of whether he plays this weekend, and Kansas City already cleared a place by waiving cornerback Terrance Mitchell earlier today.
One of the league’s top pass rushers, Houston inked a six-year, $101MM extension with the Chiefs last summer, but was hampered by injuries in the first year of his new deal. After leading the NFL with 22 sacks in 2014, Houston still played very well in 2015, but totaled just 7.5 sacks in 11 games. The outside linebacker also showed some versatility by grabbing a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
Chiefs Work Out Isaiah Pead, Others
- Veteran running back Isaiah Pead headlined Chiefs auditions (Twitter link). Quarterback Joel Stave, wide receiver Dres Anderson, linebackers Amarlo Herrera and Dwayne Norman, and safeties Jimmy Hall and Earl Wolff were also on hand. Kansas City signed Stave to its practice squad.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/8/16
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Blake Muir
- Cut: LB Davis Tull
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Jarell Broxton, DB Robertson Daniel
- Cut: QB David Fales
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Bruce Gaston
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: G Kadeem Edwards
- Cut: G Clay DeBord
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Wendall Williams
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Jimmy Hall, CB Tylor Patmon, QB Joel Stave
- Cut: RB Zac Brooks, OL Jarrod Pughsley, OT Zach Sterup
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kevin Norwood
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Jarrod Pughsley
- Cut: WR Myles White
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: OT Tyreek Burwell
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: WR Kenny Lawler
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Cody Riggs
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Lee Hightower
Chiefs Waive Terrance Mitchell
- The Chiefs have waived cornerback Terrance Mitchell, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
Poll: Who Will Win The AFC West?
Even though the defending Super Bowl champions are a member of the AFC West, the division’s prospects looked extremely cloudy heading into the 2016 division. In PFR’s preseason predictions, three writers picked the Chiefs to take the division crown, with the Raiders and Broncos picking up two and one vote(s), respectively. Additionally, four of six PFR writers projected an AFC West club to claim a Wild Card berth.
And thus far, the division is still up for grabs — the Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs, and Chargers all rank in the top half of the NFL in DVOA, while Denver, Oakland, and Kansas City all have better than a two-thirds chance of making the postseason, according to Football Outsiders (all statistics current through Week 8). In Week 9, the Chiefs have already posted a victory, the Chargers are leading the Titans, and the Broncos and Raiders will square off in an extremely important Sunday night contest.
Each of the four teams in the division has an area where they could improve, including the two clubs who will play tonight. While Denver’s defense is once again one of the best in the league, its offense ranks just 21st in DVOA. Much of that struggle can be attributed to quarterback Trevor Siemian, but the Broncos’ offensive line play has also been poor. Oakland, meanwhile, has posted excellent offensive numbers, but its defense is giving up more than 410 yards per game, 31st in the NFL.
The Chiefs are using the Denver model (20th in offensive DVOA, ninth in defensive DVOA), and are dealing with an injury to their quarterback, Alex Smith. Kansas City’s rushing attack has been impressive based on raw totals, but on an efficiency basis, the club ranks 29th in the league. 
San Diego’s defense is also playing well, as is Philip Rivers, but the Chargers could use more help from their offensive line, which ranks in the bottom-third of the NFL in both run- and pass-blocking, per FO.
Tonight’s game will have a large impact on both Denver and Oakland’s playoff odds: as Brian Burke of ESPN.com tweets, the Broncos are facing a 15.9% probability leverage (change in chance of making the postseason based on the results of this week’s game), while the Raiders are staring down a 26.2% PL. The Chiefs and Chargers were looking at a 21.2% and 13.6% change, respectively.
So, what do you think? Will Broncos hold on to defend their division title? Will the upstart Raiders upend them? Will the uber-consistent Chiefs take over? Or will the Chargers surprise everyone and storm back to take the crown? Vote below, and leave your thoughts in the comments section!
Chiefs, NFLPA Supportive Of Decision To Sit Alex Smith
- La Canfora reports that Chiefs brass is fully supportive of head coach Andy Reid‘s decision to keep Alex Smith out of game action this week, despite the fact that Smith remains asymptomatic of a concussion after taking two significant blows to the head last Sunday. Smith was able to lift weights regularly and work out as he normally would this week, and by Tuesday already had been cleared by an independent neurologist. However, Reid adopted a “better safe than sorry” approach that was heralded by team executives and by the NFLPA. Smith is expected to return to full practice tomorrow, which ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms via Twitter. Justin Houston is also expected to return next week, according to La Canfora.
Chiefs Sign Knile Davis
Knile Davis is back in Kansas City, as the team announced (via Twitter) that they’ve signed the veteran running back. The team also promoted defensive end David King to the active roster. To make room, the team placed offensive guard Parker Ehinger on the injured reserve and waived offensive lineman Jordan Devey.
It’s been a tumultuous two weeks for Davis. The 25-year-old was traded to the Packers in mid-October, but he only got five carries in two games before being waived last week. The running back was claimed by the Jets the next day, but he barely lasted three hours as the team opted to sign free agent running C.J. Spiller. In six games this season, Davis has compiled only three yards on six carries, and he’s added another four receptions for 18 yards. The former third-rounder had his best season in 2014, when he ran for 463 yards and six touchdowns. With Jamaal Charles out for the season and Spencer Ware sidelined with a concussion, the team will have to rely on Davis, Charcandrick West, and Bishop Sankey to lead their running game.
King, a seventh-round pick in 2013, has eight NFL appearances under his belt. The 26-year-old has collected four tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he’ll likely compete with Kendall Reyes and Dadi Nicolas for snaps on the defensive line.
We learned earlier this week that Ehinger, a fourth-round rookie, would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. The Cincinnati product ultimately started four games for the Chiefs. Meanwhile, Devey made one appearance for Kansas City this season. By cutting the former undrafted free agent, the Chiefs will be rolling with only Jah Reid and Bryan Witzmann as their back-up lineman.