Tracking the Chiefs’ 2021 undrafted free agent signings
The Kansas City Chiefs have wrapped up the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting a total of six players, but the festivities are not over. The team will continue to add undrafted free agents to fill out their 90-man roster. They’ll need to add 18 players or so in order to fill the offseason roster.
The Chiefs have found some gems in undrafted free agency lately. The roster is littered with players that began their careers as an undrafted free agent, such as Daniel Sorensen, Byron Pringle, Tershawn Wharton and others.
Keep in mind that this is, once again, a unique offseason altered by COVID-19. In the past, we’ve had to differentiate between signings and rookie minicamp tryout invites. Rookie minicamp is happening this year, unlike last year, but there are some new rules as it pertains to tryout invitations. Teams are only permitted to invite five players for tryouts during rookie minicamp.
The Chiefs will ultimately announce the official batch of UDFA signings at a later date, but we’ll track all of Kansas City’s signings and list them here. Be sure to bookmark this page and refresh it for periodic updates.
BYU LB Zayne Anderson
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
https://twitter.com/davidcanter/status/1388630984157958146 2020: 41 total tackles and 2 passes defended in 11 games. An athlete that is a little undersized to play linebacker. He's potentially a developmental safety in Kansas City.
SMU QB Shane Buechele
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1388633542238691336 2020: 242 passes for 3,095 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 games. The Chiefs need a quarterback for their rookie minicamp, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Buechele stick around given the guaranteed money.
Western Kentucky S Devon Key
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1388634393988648963 2020: 88 total tackles, one interception, and three passes defended in 11 games. Interesting player, it's good to see the Chiefs stacking some undrafted depth in the secondary with expected departures in 2022.
South Alabama LB Riley Cole
AP Photo/Gary McCullough
https://twitter.com/_SportsTrust/status/1388632894864826381 2020: 96 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster and I really like the way he practiced and played. Could push for a roster spot in Kansas City given how weak the linebacker position is.
Nebraska CB Dicaprio Bootle
Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
https://twitter.com/ShanePHallam/status/1388644212984397829 2020: 25 total tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one interception, five passes defended. A nice athlete who is probably a developmental slot cornerback for Kansas City.
Louisville CB Marlon Character
Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
https://twitter.com/caplannfl/status/1388648098839371777 2020: 37 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception and six passes defended. Character is an interesting player, who our friends at Touchdown Wire deemed a scheme fit for the Chiefs.
Georgia EDGE Malik Herring
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
https://twitter.com/GeorgiaFootball/status/1388660551279124480 2020: 20 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defended. Herring tore his ACL during practices at the Senior Bowl. Looks like a player who could get an injury redshirt year as Darius Harris and Tim Ward did a few seasons ago.
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