Getty Kansas City Chiefs players running out of tunnel at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs have some available space on their roster amid the COVID-19 outbreak at Arrowhead Stadium, so they took advantage of it.
Kansas City elevated defensive back Zayne Anderson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to Anderson’s agent, David Canter of GSE Worldwide.
This will be the second game Anderson is active for this season. The last was in the season-opening win over the Cleveland Browns.
Anderson, a 2021 undrafted rookie out of BYU, is filling a roster void left by two players that have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in Week 15.
The latest Chiefs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Chiefs newsletter here!
Jones, Gordon Test Positive
On Monday, December 13, wide receiver Josh Gordon was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to the NFL’s official transaction wire. Then on Tuesday, defensive tackle Chris Jones was also placed on the list.
#Chiefs Andy Reid says that DL Chris Jones is in the COVID-19 protocol and won’t practice. CB L’Jarius Sneed is on his way back to Kansas City and will miss today’s practice (personal).
The first player that was at the forefront of the outbreak in Kansas City — but didn’t necessarily cause the outbreak — was tight end, Jody Fortson. Fortson has been on injured reserve since tearing his achilles in Week 6 during the Chiefs’ over the Washington Football Team. Nevertheless, he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday, December 10.
Reid did not rule out Jones or Gordon for the team’s Week 15 outing, however. So in the meantime, both players will start their weeks out with a “did not participate” next to their names on the practice report.
“We’ll see,” Reid said of the situation. “We’ll just see how the testing, you know they test here. So, we’ll just see how that goes.”
Players in the NFL are subject to the reserve/COVID-19 list if they test positive for the virus or those identified through contact tracing as having been exposed, per The Washington Post.
According to a memo — which was obtained by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero — that was sent to clubs from the NFL back in July, vaccinated players or staff that test positive for the virus and are asymptomatic are eligible to return to duty if they register two negative tests 24 hours apart. For unvaccinated players, just like in 2020, they must quarantine for 10 days and will be permitted to return to duty if they are asymptomatic.
Chiefs Protect 4 Players in Week 15
In a rare occurrence for the Chiefs this season, the team opted to use all four of its practice squad protections in Week 15.
Kansas protected defensive tackle Cortez Broughton, linebacker Shilique Calhoun, defensive end Austin Edwards, and wide receiver Daurice Fountain, per the transaction wire.
The #Chiefs used practice squad protections on: DT Cortez Broughton, DE Shilique Calhoun, DE Austin Edwards & WR Daurice Fountain.
After wins for both the Chiefs and Chargers in Week 14, Kansas City still holds a one-game lead over Los Angeles in the AFC West. Because the Chargers beat Kansas City back in Week 3, a loss to Los Angeles on Thursday Night Football would mean the defending AFC champions would surrender the division lead with three weeks of play in the regular season remaining.
So, extending their win streak to seven games is of the utmost importance for the Chiefs in Week 15, as a loss could mean losing the division for the first time since 2015.
The Chiefs, who sport a 9-4 record, also have the same record as the AFC’s No. 1 seed — the New England Patriots — which also gives Kansas City a chance of claiming the top seed in the conference. If the Chiefs want to have a chance of earning a bye week at the start of the playoffs, they need to sport an overall better record than the Patriots by the end of the regular season (assuming New England remains in the top seed over the next four weeks).