Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during Week 3 of the 2022 season.
It’s Saturday evening and that means the final Kansas City Chiefs roster moves have been revealed ahead of their Week 6 battle with the Buffalo Bills.
We have activated Practice Squad player CB Dicaprio Bootle.
We have activated Practice Squad players S Zayne Anderson and LB Cole Christiansen via Standard Elevation.
We have placed DT Tershawn Wharton on Reserve/Injured.
This week, head coach Andy Reid has elected to utilize both of his practice squad elevations, promoting both defensive back Zayne Anderson and linebacker Cole Christiansen. The Chiefs have also decided to sign defensive back Dicaprio Bootle to the active roster after placing defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton on the injured reserve officially.
Chiefs Activate DB Dicaprio Bootle, Elevate 2 vs Bills
Bootle is a former undrafted free agent that has been with Kansas City since 2021. He’s become a staff favorite for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, bouncing back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad during his year and change within the organization.
Obviously, given the absences in the secondary — Rashad Fenton, Bryan Cook and Trent McDuffie will all be inactive in Week 6 — the first theme you notice here is a boosting of the depth behind rookies Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams. The latter is set to make the first start of his NFL career.
Bootle and Anderson provide some necessary insurance at cornerback and safety in case of emergency, while also supplying some usefulness on special teams. Chiefs Wire media member Charles Goldman broke down these transactions shortly after they were announced on October 15.
“Lots of special teams moves for the Chiefs here,” he tweeted. “Bootle only had one practice squad elevation left, so he’s signed to the 53. Elijah Lee is out of elevations, so they elevate Cole Christiansen for his role. No Bryan Cook makes for Zayne Anderson’s elevation.”
Sound analysis from the beat reporter. Like Bootle, Anderson is another staff favorite who has been with Kansas City since 2021. The DB appeared in four games last season but logged all 62 of his snaps on special teams. This will be his first taste of NFL action in 2022.
Christiansen was signed to the practice squad on September 1. A former Army graduate and undrafted free agent, the linebacker entered the league with the Los Angeles Chargers and was elevated for seven games over his two-year tenure. He has never played a defensive snap but has logged three tackles off 112 special teams snaps.
As stated by Goldman, Bootle is the only one of the three to play in 2022, having been elevated twice in Weeks 2 and 3. He registered 27 defensive snaps against the Chargers and another 36 on special teams throughout the two outings combined.
There’s a chance Spagnuolo uses Bootle as his fourth cornerback ahead of special teams ace Chris Lammons, meaning he could very well be called upon on defense against Buffalo.
Chris Jones Receives Vindication From NFL
In other news, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that along with Atlanta Falcons DT Grady Jarrett, “Chiefs DL Chris Jones also wasn’t fined for the hit on Raiders QB Derek Carr that drew a controversial roughing the passer penalty Monday night, negating Jones’ strip-sack-recovery.”
It’s a small token of vindication for Jones, who has been trying to contain his frustration with the league after a couple of crucial flags that many outside observers have disagreed with in 2022.
The first came in Indianapolis when a referee penalized him for using “disturbing language” in the face of quarterback Matt Ryan. The direct result of the flag was a game-winning touchdown drive for the Colts.
The hit Pelissero mentioned was of course against the Las Vegas Raiders. Fortunately, this call didn’t end in a Kansas City loss but it did hurt the Chiefs at the time.
“Not saying the ref is wrong but I’m just saying that those situations can affect the game tremendously,” Jones told reporters after Week 5, adding that he fears a controversial penalty might determine a playoff matchup later on. “We just got to take initiative as a league and see what we can do better about it.”