Getty Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Daurice Fountain was granted his release.
Yesterday on October 24, Kansas City Chiefs media member Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest reported that KC “granted WR Daurice Fountain his release from the practice squad.” One night later, that cut became official, per the NFL transaction log.
The reasoning, according to Derrick, was that Fountain “has interest from several teams looking for veteran help at receiver” and the reserve special teamer is looking for an opportunity to contribute at his natural position. “[He] has been a great locker room presence in KC,” noted Derrick.
Chiefs have granted WR Daurice Fountain his release from the practice squad, per source. He has interest from several teams looking for veteran help at receiver at midseason. Has been a great locker room presence in KC.
Daurice Fountain Didn’t Do Enough to Stand Out in KC
A preseason darling in 2021, Fountain earned a couple of regular-season elevations as well as three postseason appearances on special teams. Over those five games, he did not log a catch with the Chiefs.
Unfortunately for Fountain, he was unable to take that next step and make himself irreplaceable in Kansas City. He was a nice team player and practice squad reserve, no doubt, but guys like Justin Watson came in and won the 53-man role that the former Indianapolis Colt was always vying for.
After recent additions at wide receiver — including Chris Conley who was poached by the Tennessee Titans earlier today — Fountain must have decided that he had more of an opportunity elsewhere and in the end, the Chiefs did the right thing in cutting him loose onto the open market.
Behind the five wideouts on the active roster, Kansas City is now down to three practice squad reserves — not counting Justyn Ross on IR and RB/WR Jerrion Ealy who is still suspended. They are Cornell Powell, Marcus Kemp, and newcomer Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
The Kemp and Smith-Marsette signings may have directly impacted Fountain’s willingness to stick around on a practice squad loaded with special teams aces.
NFL Rules in Favor of 2-Game Suspension for Frank Clark
In case you missed it, the NFL has also decided to suspend yet another Chiefs player for an incident that occurred over the offseason. Some might argue that the league tried to do KC a favor by waiting until after Willie Gay Jr.’s four-game penalty had ended but either way, fans won’t be happy to lose another piece after the bye week.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport detailed the news: “Chiefs DE Frank Clark has been suspended by the NFL for two games for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, stemming from him pleading no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges from a June 2021 incident for possession of a concealed firearm.”
#Chiefs DE Frank Clark has been suspended by the NFL for two games for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, stemming from him pleading no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges from a June 2021 incident for possession of a concealed firearm.
It does not appear that Clark will attempt to appeal this ruling, meaning he’ll miss the Week 9 and 10 matchups against the Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher reminded fans of the offseason incident, stating:
“Clark was arrested in Los Angeles in March 2021, when he was pulled over while riding with another man in a vehicle that did not have a license plate. An officer noticed a weapon in the car and recovered two loaded firearms. In June 2021, Clark was pulled over for a code violation, and officers discovered another gun in his vehicle.”
The timing is much better than Gay’s four-game absence but it is unfortunate all the same. Clark is coming off his best performance of the season in San Francisco and this three-week layoff — including the bye — might derail any resurgence from the veteran pass rusher.