HEADLINES

Kansas City Chiefs News & Rumors

Chiefs CB Rashad Fenton Uncertain For Training Camp

May 7th, 2022 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

The Chiefs have been busy adding cornerbacks recently, and for good reason. According to ESPN’s Adam Teicher (on Twitter), cornerback Rashad Fenton continues to rehab a shoulder injury.

Fenton is unlikely to participate in OTAs. The Chiefs are hoping the defensive back will be good to go for training camp, but it doesn’t sound like that’s any guarantee. It’s uncertain when Fenton originally suffered the injury. The 25-year-old missed a pair of playoff games with a back injury, but it doesn’t sound like that’s related to his current ailment. Fortunately, it sounds like the cornerback already went under the knife, so now it’s just a matter of overcoming rehab for him to return to the field.

Fenton was a sixth-round pick by the Chiefs in 2019. He’s taken on a larger role during each of his three seasons in the NFL, culminating in a 2021 campaign where he collected 49 tackles and seven passes defended in 14 games (eight starts).

The Chiefs ended up using three of their 10 draft picks on cornerbacks, including the No. 21 pick on Washington’s Trent McDuffie. The organization also drafted Fayetteville St. cornerback Joshua Williams (fourth round, No. 135) and Washington St. defensive back Jaylen Watson (seventh round, No. 243). The team also recently acquired cornerback Lonnie Johnson in a trade with the Texans.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22

May 6th, 2022 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest draft pick signings:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears 

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

  • DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
  • LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
  • WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
  • WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)

Washington Commanders

Chiefs Announce Signing Of 10 UDFAs

May 6th, 2022 at 7:37pm CST by Ely Allen

After an impressive Draft performance, the Chiefs announced the signing of 10 undrafted free agents that will be joining their rookie class:

Beyond Ross, who we’ve posted on already, headliners of the group include Fleet-Davis, Ealy, Crum, and Oginni.

Fleet-Davis had his best year for the Terrapins last year totaling 1,026 yards from scrimmage and 9 total touchdowns. Ealy was a consensus five-star recruit for the Rebels. The smaller back averaged 745.0 rushing yards per season and 181.67 receiving yards per season while racking up 20 rushing touchdowns and adding 4 receiving touchdowns over his three years in Oxford.

Crum was a three-year starter for the Golden Flashes, leading them to two bowl games, not qualifying after playing only four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In 31 games as a starter, Crum completed 67.41% of his passes, throwing for 7,012 yards and tossing 52 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He’ll compete for the backup quarterback position behind Patrick Mahomes with veteran-Chad Henne, Anthony Gordon, and Shane Buechele.

Oginni will make the move to America after coming up in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program in Nigeria. Despite being involved in a bus crash that killed three of his teammates, Oginni continued to train in Nigeria after his visa application was continuously denied. Oginni will get his opportunity in the big leagues and will have a chance to learn from one of the best in Travis Kelce.

Chiefs Sign First-Rounder George Karlaftis

May 6th, 2022 at 12:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chiefs had two picks to work with on Day 1 of last week’s draft. The first was used to help bolster their secondary, while the second, edge rusher George Karlaftis, will add to their front seven. Kansas City has agreed to terms with him on his rookie deal, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 

Karlaftis had a productive three-year career at Purdue. His freshman season was his best, as he totalled 54 tackles, including 17 for a loss, as well as 7.5 sacks. While he was limited to just two games the following year, he bounced back in 2021, earning Third-Team All-American honors.

One of the best power rushers in this year’s class, the Greece native has the frame (six-foot-four, 275 pounds) to hold up against NFL competition. Given his build and lack of fluidity relative to other edge players, though, there are questions surrounding where he would best be served to line up, especially early in his career. Still, his combination of size, technique and upside left no one surprised when the Chiefs selected him 30th overall.

In Kansas City, Karlaftis will join an edge group headed by Frank Clark. The team’s recent decision to use a UFA tender on veteran Melvin Ingram points to a re-signing in the near future, but Karlaftis should still be able to see significant playing time right away and throughout his four- (or five-) year tenure on his rookie deal.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/22

May 5th, 2022 at 7:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

Chiefs, LT Orlando Brown Jr. To Begin Extension Talks

May 4th, 2022 at 6:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

After acquiring Orlando Brown Jr. in a contract year, the Chiefs used their franchise tag on their new left tackle. While Brown playing 2022 on the tag is in play, the Chiefs are set to begin negotiations with the fifth-year blocker, GM Brett Veach said.

Kansas City kept Brown off the market via the $16.7MM offensive line tag, but the former Ravens right tackle will be targeting a deal that averages more in annual value. A deal north of $20MM per year will be the target of Brown’s camp, a group that has yet to fully form going into these negotiations.

Former NFL O-lineman Jammal Brown serves as Orlando Brown’s mentor, and NFL.com’s Garafolo adds (video link) they are meeting with agents and advisors to determine which path to take ahead of these pivotal negotiations. As of now, Orlando Brown is self-represented.

Brown, who turned 26 this week, maneuvered to reach this point. After filling in for Ronnie Stanley at left tackle to close out the 2020 season, Brown communicated to the Ravens he wanted to stay at that position. With Stanley entrenched at the spot in Baltimore, the Ravens traded their three-plus-year right tackle to the Chiefs for first-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks. The Chiefs also acquired a 2021 second-rounder in that swap, softening the blow. But the team’s trade compensation will come up in Brown’s negotiations, putting the mammoth blocker in good position to cash in.

Kansas City tabled an extension to 2022, making that plan immediately after acquiring Brown, and only has one O-lineman (left guard Joe Thuney) tied to a lucrative long-term contract. The Tyreek Hill trade and decision not to offer Tyrann Mathieu an extension cleared funds for a Brown re-up.

The Jaguars just gave Cam Robinson a deal averaging $17.6MM annually. Brown has three Pro Bowls to Robinson’s zero, putting the former in position to become the NFL’s fourth $20MM-per-year O-lineman. Trent Williams, whom the Chiefs aggressively pursued before the 49ers submitted their $23MM-per-year offer, joins David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil as the league’s $20MM-AAV blockers. All three earn at least $22MM per year, giving Brown a target. The Chiefs sit near the top of the league with $18MM-plus in cap space; they have until July 15 to hammer out an extension.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/3/22

May 3rd, 2022 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived: WR Chris Finke

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Chiefs To Sign UDFA Justyn Ross

May 3rd, 2022 at 10:49am CST by Adam La Rose

One of the biggest names amongst undrafted free agents appears to be headed to Kansas City. Former Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross is signing with the Chiefs, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson (Twitter link). 

Ross was one of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s class. His college career began with a hugely productive freshman season in 2018, where he registered 46 catches for exactly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. Standing out on a team which also featured the likes of Tee Higgins and Hunter Renfrow, he was thought to be a first-round lock and the next in a long line of high-end Tigers receivers.

The following season did little to quell those thoughts. He put up 66 receptions and another eight touchdowns, playing a key role in Clemson going undefeated. In the National Championship game victory over Alabama, he was the team’s leading receiver, averaging over 25 yards per catch. It was after that, however, that his draft stock began to plummet.

In 2020, Ross underwent surgery to correct a congenital fusion in his neck. The procedure cost him his entire junior season, and, for a time, left his ability to play football in doubt. Those concerns were amplified by a second fusion surgery he underwent, as noted by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Ross was able to come back last year, however, playing in 10 games.

Given his injury history, “many teams” took Ross off of their draft boards completely, as noted by Rapoport. His earlier production, coupled with his size (six-foot-four, 205 pounds), though, made him worth a flier in the Chiefs’ eyes. In Kansas City, he will enter a WR room which has seen Tyreek Hill, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle leave this offseason. In response, the team has added JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and second-rounder Skyy Moore.

Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram Hit With UFA Tenders

May 2nd, 2022 at 10:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Both the Ravens and Chiefs made use of a rarely used tender today. Per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), free agent linebackers Justin Houston and Melvin Ingram were hit with UFA tenders by Baltimore and Kansas City, respectively.

This makes July 22 (or the first day of training camp, whichever is later) a relatively important date for the two veterans. If they sign with a new team before that date, then they’ll count toward the compensatory pick formula (benefiting their 2021 team). If they remain unsigned, then their 2021 squad will have exclusive negotiating rights, meaning the player will either return to the organization or sit unsigned.

Houston’s offer from Baltimore is worth 110% of his 2021 salary, which was $2.075MM. The veteran inked a one-year deal with the Ravens last offseason, and he ended up collecting 34 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 15 starts for his new team. Houston spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Chiefs, including a 2014 campaign where he compiled 22 sacks.

Per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, the Chiefs effectively offered Ingram a one-year deal worth $4.4MM. The linebacker was traded to Kansas City last November, and he saw time in nine games (six starts) down the stretch, collecting 15 tackles and one sack. The 33-year-old added another two sacks in three playoff games. The former first-round pick spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Chargers, collecting 49 sacks and three Pro Bowl appearances.

Load More Posts