Andy Reid recently revealed the addition of a strong new player to bolster his team’s offensive capabilities.
While general manager Brett Veach is busy elsewhere, the Kansas City Chiefs are focused on getting ready for their Divisional Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Kansas City is making some more moves after putting linebacker Cam Jones on injured reserve and allowing wide receiver Skyy Moore to return from the list. Cole Christiansen, who was previously on the practice squad, is being added to the active roster in response to Jones’s placement on injured reserve. Trey Dean, a recently signed safety, will replace him on the practice squad. Two other players have also joined the group.
The Chiefs have signed wide receiver Shi Smith and cornerback Kelvin Joseph to reserve/future contracts with an eye toward the offseason.
Though there is still much to explore, at this stage each player is merely organizational depth. Dean, who was not selected in the 2023 draft, leaves the New York Jets to join Kansas City. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back had 255 tackles and eighteen passes intercepted in his time at Florida. He is yet to participate in any games.
With reference to the reserve/future contracts, this gives Joseph and Smith the chance to remain in the organization during the offseason and participate in games as part of the 90-man roster. Joseph, who was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, has played in 31 games in his career. Throughout his professional career, he has recorded in-game reps with the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, and Dallas Cowboys. In Week 16 of this season, the former Kentucky standout made eight special teams plays for Seattle.
Smith was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, the same draft in which Joseph was selected. In his first two seasons in Carolina, he caught 28 passes for two touchdowns and 400 yards. Smith was released in August of last year and signed a practice squad contract with the Tennessee Titans the following month, but his deal expired after the regular season.
Players are no longer permitted to negotiate contracts with other teams on reserve/future deals. As a result, when the new NFL league year starts, Joseph and Smith will officially be Chiefs and won’t be counted against the expanded roster limit. Having futures players in place is a very simple and affordable way to protect a depth chart through Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and into training camp, especially with the top-51 rule in effect from that point until the start of the regular season.
