Chiefs protect 2 practice squad players for Week 8

The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a pair of players on the practice squad ahead of their Week 8 game against the New York Giants.

Kansas City protected QB Shane Buechele and LB Darius Harris according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Wednesday. This is the second consecutive week that the team has protected Harris and the fourth consecutive week the team has opted to protect Buechele. This actually marks the fewest practice squad protections for the team since Week 5, when they first protected Buechele.

Harris was elevated to the 53-man roster last week via standard elevation, playing just two special teams snaps. His experience playing SAM and MIKE linebacker is an asset for Kansas City right now with Anthony Hitchens still dealing with an elbow injury. The protection for Harris also signals that Hitchens will likely be out with his injury for a second consecutive week.

The Chiefs’ continued protection of Buechele likely has nothing to do with the upcoming week, but instead, it shows their commitment to the rookie. Current backup QB Chad Henne is scheduled to become a free agent in 2022. Kansas City would be wise to work to develop a player like Buechele behind Mahomes so they don’t have to exhaust money on a backup. By protecting him each week, they’re ensuring that no other team signs him away and that he’s with the Chiefs for the long haul.

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