With a little over a week remaining before the 2022 NFL Draft is underway, the Kansas City Chiefs might not be done signing free agents.
The Chiefs hosted free-agent safety Henry Black for a visit, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
#Packers free agent safety Henry Black visited the #Chiefs today, per @AaronWilson_NFL #ChiefsKingdom
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Black entered the NFL undrafted out of Baylor in 2020. He managed to work his way onto the Green Bay Packers practice squad during the 2020 season and was promoted to the game-day roster for eight games that season, recording six tackles on 27 total defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.
During the 2021 season, Black was active for all 17 of Green Bay’s regular-season games, playing a total of 262 defensive snaps and 315 special teams snaps, registering 28 tackles, two passes defended, and one forced fumble. He was also active for Green Bay’s lone playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chiefs lost Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen to free agency this offseason. However, they signed former Houston Texans safety Justin Reid and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Deon Bush to fill the void left by the veteran defenders. With Juan Thornhill and Devon Key still on the roster, the top of the safety depth chart is filled, but more bodies are needed to round out the defensive backfield.
Black could potentially serve as a depth piece and special-teams asset for Kansas City. Adding safety help via the draft makes sense as well.
Chiefs Defenders Met in Arizona for Offseason Workouts
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media on April 18, which marked the first day of Kansas City’s voluntary offseason workout program. Reid made it known that Phase One of the offseason program will mainly be virtual meetings, although a few players will be at the facility.
While quarterback Patrick Mahomes has gathered some of the Chiefs’ pass-catchers down in Texas, second-year linebacker Nick Bolton confirmed that some of Kansas City’s defenders gathered in Arizona to hold workout sessions of their own.
“Yeah, there’s been a couple of times when I work out at the facility, there have been a couple of guys there. I’ve worked out with Willie (Gay). I know Jermaine (Carter) got in today. Also, Elijah Lee got in today. I’m looking forward to working out with those guys,” Bolton told the media on April 18.
“In the offseason, I was actually in Arizona. Justin Reid was down there. We had a couple of guys down there. Cornell Powell, Juan (Thornhill) was down there. We all get work in, we don’t really post to social media, but we’re all getting work in together trying to improve and trying to reach the goal at the end of the year to hoist up the trophy.”
Bolton Acknowledges Defensive Adjustments in 2022
With Mathieu and veteran linebacker Anthony Hitchens — two of the Chiefs’ defensive leaders in past years — no longer in Kansas City, Bolton acknowledged the adjustments he and the remainder of the Chiefs defense will have to make moving forward.
“I feel like going into this year, it’s collective, it’s not just me,” Bolton said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces. I got older guys, our D-Line is kind of the vets of our defense right now. We’re going to rely on those guys as the season goes on,” Bolton said.
Bolton said that despite Hitchens no longer being with the Chiefs, he has still been in close contact with the former rookie phenom as he enters his second season in the NFL and will seemingly take on more of a leadership role in Kansas City.
“Us, being linebackers, we’ve just got to be vocal, make sure that everybody is on the same page, communicating. Make sure that everyone is comfortable with each other,” Bolton said. “That will come as the season goes on, guys coming in the next couple of weeks, we’ll build the foundation now so that we can go in during phase two and hit the field with trust.”
#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton said that free agent Anthony Hitchens remains “his guy,” — spoke highly of him and said they continue to talk at least once a month.
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Chiefs Host Former Packers Safety for Visit: Report