Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
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mid rookie minicamp for the Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney shared some telling details regarding second-year running back/wide receiver Jerrion Ealy, who appears to be on the rise.
“Fifth-round EDGE BJ Thompson had a nice day, wreaking havoc on opposing tackles during KC’s early team period,” Sweeney wrote following the conclusion of Day 2 of minicamp on May 7. “WR Rashee Rice and RB Jerrion Ealy are on another level when it comes to speed/shiftiness. Based on my looks, Ealy is probably the fastest player at this camp.
Fifth-round EDGE BJ Thompson had a nice day, wreaking havoc on opposing tackles during KC’s early team period. WR Rashee Rice and RB Jerrion Ealy are on another level when it comes to speed/shiftiness. Based on my looks, Ealy is probably the fastest player at this camp.
After Day 3 of minicamp, Sweeney gave yet another optimistic evaluation of Ealy.
“Jerrion Ealy stood out for me all camp. He worked out with RBs this weekend after seeing time with WRs last year,” he wrote on May 8.
Jerrion Ealy stood out for me all camp. He worked out with RBs this weekend after seeing time with WRs last year. Asked Reid about Ealy after practice.
Jerrion Ealy Trying to Carve Out Roster Spot
Jerrion Ealy, 22, spent his collegiate career at Ole Miss and was an all-purpose stud during his tenure in the SEC. During his three years at Ole Miss, he accumulated 2,235 rushing yards, 864 return yards, 545 receiving yards, and 26 total touchdowns according to Sports Reference. His versatility on the football field earned him All-SEC honors in each of the three years he was at Ole Miss.
After going undrafted in 2022, Ealy joined the Chiefs but struggled to make an impact during his rookie season. He was signed to Kansas City’s practice squad at the start of the 2022 regular season and was suspended in October for six games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Then between December and the end of January, he was released/waived and re-signed to the Chiefs practice squad on six different occasions. The team signed him to a Reserve/Future contract on February 15.
Ealy clearly is an athletic specimen, which is why he excelled at the collegiate as a football player as well as a baseball player. He has yet to solidify himself as a playmaker at either running back or wide receiver at the NFL level, but it appears he’s beginning to make an impression in Kansas City’s backfield in Year 2, albeit during minicamp.
If he’s able to become a consistent threat at the running back position, then Ealy could become a 1-2 punch alongside fellow second-year back Isiah Pacheco.
“He can kind of do a lot of things for you… from the return game to wide receiver to running back… real smart, quick,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told Pete Sweeney on May 8. “Not the biggest guy, but he knows how to play the game.”
Reid on Ealy: “He can kind of do a lot of things for you… from the return game to wide receiver to running back… real smart, quick. Not the biggest guy, but he knows how to play the game.”
Sounds like he’ll work with RBs in OTAs but Reid leaving door open for flex role.
Undrafted Free Agent Tracker
Here’s a look at all of the undrafted free agents the Chiefs have agreed to contracts with since the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft:
- CB Montrae Braswell (Missouri State)
- OL Jerome Carvin (Tennessee)
- S Anthony Cook (Texas)
- OL Anderson Hardy (Appalachian State)
- OL Blake Haynes (Tarleton State)
- LB Cam Jones (Indiana)
- DE Truman Jones (Harvard)
- S Martez Manuel (Missouri)
- LB Isaiah Moore (North Carolina State)
- DB Isaiah Norman (Marshall)
- RB Deneric Prince (Tulsa)
- WR Nikko Remigio (Fresno State)
- WR Tyrone Scott (Missouri State)
- CB Reese Taylor (Purdue)
- CB Anthony Witherstone (Merrimack)
- CB Kahlef Hailassie (Western Kentucky)