Getty Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Elijah Lee celebrates a stop in Super Bowl LIV.
The Kansas City Chiefs made a pair of signings on March 22, and both added depth on defense and special teams.
The headliner was probably linebacker Elijah Lee, a journeyman who played against KC in the 2019 Super Bowl. He announced that he’d be joining “#ChiefsKingdom” himself, which beat reporter Herbie Teope confirmed in short order.
It will be a one-year deal for the linebacker, according to Teope, who noted that Lee is a former Kansas State Wildcat.
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5-Year Pro Comes Home, Bolstering Reserves
Lee was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, but he never played a snap for the franchise after being cut in early September. The San Francisco 49ers wasted no time snatching up the seventh-rounder from there, turning him into a special teams contributor in year one.
Elijah Lee is a beast.
After 14 appearances as a rookie and 274 special teams snaps, Lee was able to stick with the Niners for three seasons — a tenure that ultimately ended in Super Bowl LIV. He did start five games at linebacker in 2018, with 65 tackles and one sack.
Since then, the special teamer has split the past two seasons with the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. Although he was born in Louisiana, Lee attended Blue Springs High School in Missouri and Kansas State University after that.
The homecoming adds necessary depth behind Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. Before the Lee acquisition, Shilique Calhoun and Darius Harris were the only two backup linebackers on the roster.
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Undrafted Product Joins Secondary
Earlier in the day, Synergy Sports International announced that their client, Luq Barcoo, would be signing with Kansas City as well.
@SynergySportInt @Chiefs Much love fam 🙏🏾
The cornerback responded, “much love fam,” to confirm the deal.
Barcoo entered the league in 2020, going undrafted out of San Diego State. He did start one game his rookie campaign (three appearances total), with 10 tackles and one pass defended.
What CRUCIAL play by Luq Barcoo vs Adam Thielen
After spending a portion of the following camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the CB was waived and started the 2021 season with the Arizona Cardinals. Before the year was out, he journeyed to San Francisco for a brief stint but never took the field for the trio of franchises.
Barcoo turns 24-years old in July and hopes to win a spot in the Chiefs secondary. After losing Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes in free agency, general manager Brett Veach is searching far and wide for cornerback depth.
Robinson Signs With Raiders
In case you missed it, Demarcus Robinson also visited Las Vegas this morning and before the sun set on the day, the ex-Chiefs wide receiver became a Raider.
More information on Robinson can be found here, and the departure dropped the 2016 draft class down to two remaining players — per KC sports producer Nick Jacobs.
With DeMarcus Robinson moving on, here’s the #Chiefs draft classes remaining since the Reid era began in KC.
Jacobs noted that only 21 of Andy Reid’s 62 total draft picks now remain with Kansas City. Travis Kelce is the only selection remaining from the pre-2016 class, which is when Chris Jones and Tyreek Hill entered the fold.
The past three drafts have been much better so far, with 16 of 18 prospects on the Chiefs roster. Of course, as time goes by, that is more likely to change.