Getty Danny Shelton
The well-traveled NFL career of former New England Patriots run-stuffer Danny Shelton has a new stop.
The 28-year-old (he turns 29 later this month on August 20) is signing a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who referenced Shelton’s agents in his tweet.
Chiefs and veteran free-agent defensive tackle Danny Shelton have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, per his agents @DrewJRosenhaus and @RyanMatha. Shelton was most recently with the Giants.
Shelton spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Patriots helping New England win Super Bowl LIII. Shelton’s best season, at least statistically with the Patriots, came in 2019.
While he’s not much of a pass rusher (6 career sacks in 7 seasons), he is a potentially dominant run-stuffer. In 2019, Shelton had 61 tackles, 6 QB hits, and an Approximate Value rating of 12, per Pro Football Reference.
The strength of his performance in 2019 and a mostly consistent track record as an impactful interior defender helped Shelton land a two-year, $8 million deal with the Detroit Lions. Shelton was injured after the 2020 season and released. He signed with the New York Giants ahead of the 2021 season and played for the G-Men in 13 games last year.
Shelton now lands with the Chiefs hoping to rediscover the level of play he demonstrated while with the Patriots, which are still the best seasons of his career.
The Patriots Have a Young and Promising Defensive Linemen
Some may wonder why the Patriots didn’t show interest in Shelton, considering he’d played well for them in the past. There are likely two reasons. First, Shelton is more of a one-dimensional run-stuffer. That’s an archetype the Patriots have seemingly moved away from since he left the team in 2019 in search of the more mobile and versatile tackles like Christian Barmore.
Secondly, the emergence of undrafted rookie free agent LaBryan Ray has been one of the most pleasant and promising stories during the Patriots’ training camp. When he arrived in Tuscaloosa, the Alabama product was among the country’s most highly touted high school players.
Unfortunately, Ray’s college career was negatively impacted by injuries. Ray’s injuries afforded him fifth-year eligibility in school, but he still played in 5 or fewer games in three seasons with the Crimson Tide.
The questions about durability played a major role in his going undrafted, but thus far, Ray has remained healthy through training camp. He’s emerged as the “best bet” to extend the Patriots’ streak of keeping an undrafted free agent on the 53-man roster, according to Patriots.com writer Evan Lazar. Ray’s play has seemingly impressed people since the start of training camp.
If he can continue to play on this level, the Patriots might have an ideal partner for Barmore on the defensive line.
Patriots Notes and Quotes
- Patriots’ Running Game Beginning to Show Some Life
Most of what we’ve heard about the Patriots’ offense in training camp this year has been filled with worry and concern. On Tuesday, NBC Sports’ Phil Perry said Wednesday was a good day for New England’s offense.
Perry identified the team’s outside zone run plays as the aspect of the offense that showed the most improvement. Perry also wonders aloud whether the success on the run would lead to some downfield shots that will hopefully make the way to the regular season. Take a look and listen to Perry discuss the latest day at Patriots training camp practice: