Getty The Kansas City Chiefs have cut center Austin Reiter (middle).
For the second straight night, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach decided to shuffle around his practice squad a bit on November 29.
KC signed two new offensive toys for Patrick Mahomes II yesterday, in running back Melvin Gordon and wide receiver Bryan Edwards. Tonight, Veach finished up on those moves and added one more to the mix.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter announced the signing, tweeting: “Longtime former [Baltimore] Ravens’ DT Brandon Williams, who had been waiting for the right opportunity like Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, is signing with the Chiefs practice squad with the idea of going to the active roster, per sources. Williams reunites with Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen.”
Longtime former Ravens’ DT Brandon Williams, who had been waiting for the right opportunity like Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, is signing with the Chiefs practice squad with the idea of going to the active roster, per sources. Williams reunites with Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen.
Brandon Williams Signing Brings Experience at DT
Like Gordon and Edwards the night before, this is a no-nonsense addition from the Chiefs. These players aren’t scrap-heap guys, they’re potential contributors with experience and talent.
Williams is getting older (32) and has yet to take a snap in 2022, but that shouldn’t take away from the excitement of this deal. One could argue that Kansas City’s biggest weakness was their D-tackle depth behind Chris Jones.
After Tershawn Wharton was lost for the season, the Chiefs have struggled to fill his role. Khalen Saunders has been having a career year but Derrick Nnadi has been a liability and Taylor Stallworth hasn’t done much since being called up to the active roster.
Now Veach bulks up his practice squad with another viable option in Williams. The former Pro Bowl DT brings nine years of experience and 323 total tackles, as well as 33 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks.
Similar to Danny Shelton — who’s also a member of the KC practice squad — Williams is another run-stuffer that could either replace Nnadi or spell him. The two reserves combine for 16 years of NFL experience at the position.
Chiefs Release Austin Reiter & Wayne Gallman
Kansas City parted ways with defensive end Azur Kamara last night and this time it’ll be center Austin Reiter and running back Wayne Gallman that clear the appropriate space for Williams and Gordon (signing now official).
Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman confirmed the cuts after Arrowhead Live first revealed them.
Reiter was one of the last remaining members of the 2019 Super Bowl roster — although it’s not the first time he’s been released. The center started five games with Miami in 2021, then returned to Kansas City after that. He has spent the entire 2022 campaign with the Chiefs practice squad.
Goldman expects that “practice squad OL Mike Caliendo will now slide into [the emergency] center role on the practice squad” with Nick Allegretti as the immediate backup on the active roster. Reiter had been the only prototypical center depth behind starter Creed Humphrey.
Gallman’s release makes sense after the Gordon addition. The former New York Giants draft pick didn’t do enough to receive an opportunity with KC despite joining the organization in early October.
This one is a straight upgrade. At this point in their careers, both Gordon and Gallman are third-down specialists that would serve as depth behind Jerick McKinnon. The former is just a better player who has done it longer.
The Gordon signing could also mean that Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury is more serious than some initially thought. Ronald Jones II got the first crack at helping fill in for CEH. Will we see Gordon earn an elevation once he’s all settled in?
Whatever the Chiefs decide to do, it certainly feels like head coach Andy Reid is beginning to shape his postseason roster, adding veteran talent at areas of need.