Getty Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Daurice Fountain during the 2022 preseason.
Earlier this week, Kansas City Chiefs media member Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest reported that KC “granted WR Daurice Fountain his release from the practice squad.” Not long after, that cut became official.
Derrick stressed that other franchises had shown interest in Fountain and that the veteran was looking for an opportunity to play meaningful snaps. Well, it appears that report was accurate.
Less than 24 hours later on October 26, Fountain took to Twitter to hint at the next stop on his NFL journey, and apparently, he’ll be joining a few more ex-Chiefs contributors.
Daurice Fountain Signs With Chicago Bears
This morning, Fountain announced the news in cryptic fashion by tweeting out two emojis — bear and down. Obviously, that phrase is synonymous with the Chicago Bears franchise.
On paper, this move is not surprising whatsoever. Former Chiefs front office executive Ryan Poles is now the general manager in Chicago and as a byproduct, the Bears are becoming KC’s mini-me when it comes to castoffs.
There’s more behind this link, however. Current Bears head coach Matt Eberflus also has a connection to Fountain from their time together in Indianapolis.
Eberflus addressed the media today in Chicago, confirming that they signed Fountain to the practice squad. “We know him,” the Bears HC said of Fountain, “understand what kind of guy he is. He’s an excellent young man and a good team guy.”
A preseason darling with the Chiefs 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 but to be fair, his offensive snaps were limited. So far, the wide receiver/special teamer has not received any opportunities at the NFL level in 2022.
Unfortunately for Fountain, he was unable to make himself irreplaceable in Kansas City and newcomers like Justin Watson came in and stole his chance at the 53-man roster. Then reunions like Marcus Kemp and Chris Conley didn’t help — even though the latter was swiped away by the Tennessee Titans this week.
The Chiefs will move forward with Cornell Powell, the aforementioned Kemp, and newcomer Ihmir Smith-Marsette as the three wide receivers that are currently on the practice squad. Don’t be surprised if general manager Brett Veach adds to those ranks in the coming days or weeks.
Do the Chiefs Need Help at WR?
One of the more interesting debates in Chiefs Kingdom right now is whether or not Patrick Mahomes could use some help at wide receiver. Obviously, this was a hot topic over the offseason after the Tyreek Hill trade and the discussion has seesawed back and forth since.
There are weeks where Mahomes comes out and dominates opposing defenses with his current supporting cast — spreading the ball around to all his pass-catchers including receiving leaders JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Head coach Andy Reid also utilizes his tight ends as dangerous dual-threat weapons that can block and wreak havoc in the passing game. Similarly, the KC running backs all have some ability catching the football.
This offense put up 40-plus points against the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers — two of which had top-ranked defenses ahead of their face-off with the Chiefs. It was also stifled to some extent by the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills.
The question is which Chiefs offense you’re getting on a week-to-week basis and most of that comes down to Mahomes. To help take some of the pressure off the quarterback, the KC front office could bring in one more veteran playmaker.
Until they do, it’ll probably be the Patrick Mahomes show in Kansas City — for better or for worse.