Getty Kansas City Chiefs running back Ronald Jones II with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.
Earlier today on November 12, the Kansas City Chiefs announced their Week 10 practice squad elevations — or should I say, elevation.
USA Today Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman was one of the first to report on the move.
“The Chiefs are activating DB Ugo Amadi from the practice squad via standard elevation for Week 10 against the [Jacksonville] Jaguars,” he tweeted. “The fourth-year veteran will see his first action with the team just a week after joining the practice squad.”
No Wayne Gallman Shifts Ronald Jones Into On-Deck Circle
On the surface, this reveal appeared to be a simple special teams reinforcement but an omission could end up being important. Jerick McKinnon was downgraded to a limited practice on Friday because of a new hamstring injury. The veteran running back was already dealing with shoulder and knee issues ahead of Week 10, putting his status in doubt against the Jaguars.
Now, there’s still a chance McKinnon might suit up but let’s say he doesn’t, Ronald Jones II just solidified his place in the pecking order of the next in line to replace him.
On November 11, Goldman noted that “it’ll be interesting to see what the Chiefs do with Jerick McKinnon questionable.” Continuing: “If he can’t go, I’m not so sure it means Ronald Jones will be up. Could see a practice squad elevation for Wayne Gallman instead given that he plays special teams & has a similar skill set.”
We can now officially rule out a Gallman elevation, which means we’ll see either McKinnon or Jones dress as the third running back versus Jacksonville. Of course, if “RoJo” does play in Week 10, it’ll be his inaugural activation as a member of the Chiefs organization.
Fed up with the lack of success from the run game on Twitter, KC fans voiced opinions like “free Rojo” and “it’s time to see what Ronald Jones brings to the table.” We’ll find out the verdict on McKinnon in pregame warmups tomorrow.
Ugo Amadi Boosts Special Teams vs Jaguars
Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick shared some information about Amadi after reporting on his elevation.
“Chiefs elevated S Ugo Amadi from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville,” he informed. “Experienced special teams player during [the] past three seasons for Seattle but also started 12 games for the Seahawks in the defensive backfield.”
Kansas City only signed Amadi on November 3. The 25-year-old entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. With the NFC West franchise, the defensive back registered 106 tackles, 13 passes defended, and six tackles for loss, per Pro Football Reference.
In August, the Seahawks traded Amadi to the Philadelphia Eagles. Nine days later, the Eagles traded him to the Tennessee Titans. On October 31, the Titans waived Amadi, who played in two games in Music City before hitting the open market.
Amadi logged 572 snaps on special teams from 2019 through 2021 according to Pro Football Focus. He was credited with a 73.4 as his highest grade in 2020 but has never received a season grade lower than 63.0 for his impact as a core special teamer in Seattle.
His experience is wide-ranging, with plenty of snaps on just about every ST unit including kick return, kick return coverage, punt return, punt return coverage, and field goal block. If McKinnon is missing on Sunday, Amadi should help fill any special teams gaps that his absence might cause.