Getty Orlando Apollos kicker Elliott Fry.
The Kansas City Chiefs have filled the void left by defensive back Zayne Anderson on the practice squad.
Kansas City has signed kicker Elliott Fry to the practice squad, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
The latest Chiefs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Chiefs newsletter here!
Fry, 27, signed a reserve/futures contract with the Carolina Panthers in December of 2019, according to Pro Football Reference. But interest in him in the NFL didn’t fully spark until he spent some time in the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in the spring of 2020. During the lone season of AAF’s existence, Fry made all 14 of his field-goal attempts with a long of 47 yards, per The Football Database.
Since then, Fry has spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and most recently the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta signed Fry in October of 2020 and has retained him via the practice squad throughout the better part of the 2021 season. However, the Falcons opted to release Fry from the practice squad on November 17.
We have released Elliott Fry from the practice squad.
Anderson Promoted to 53-Man Roster
The reason the Chiefs had space on their practice squad for Fry is that they promoted defensive back Zayne Anderson to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, December 14, per his 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.
Chiefs Had 3 Positive Tests in Recent Days
On a short week in which they face the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, December 16, the defending AFC champions are in the midst of a COVID outbreak at Arrowhead Stadium.
Since Friday, December 10, the Chiefs have placed three players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Those players are defensive tackle Chris Jones, wide receiver Josh Gordon, and tight end Jody Fortson (achilles, IR).
Despite Jones and Gordon being placed on the list just days away from their Week 15 outing, head coach Andy Reid did not rule them out for the divisional game.
“We’ll see,” Reid said of the situation during his press conference on Tuesday, December 14. “We’ll just see how the testing, you know they test here. So, we’ll just see how that goes.”
Reid also mentioned how often he is re-emphasizing how careful the players should be once they leave the facility.
“We try to talk to them at least once a week about it,” Reid explained. “It seems like it’s every day, but it’s probably once or twice a week just to remind them about it—who you hang with, where you go, and so on and so forth.”
He also spoke about his vaccination status in terms of the COVID booster shot and who talks to the players about getting it.
“The players union takes care of them,” Reid said. “I’ve done it, so I always let the guys know where I’m at with it. And it’s not because I’m old, it’s because with the numbers out there, the booster seems to be helping. Then, Rick (Burkholder) talks to them a bunch. Our docs are pretty skilled at that too.”