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It was a brief stay in Kansas City for a couple of the Chiefs undrafted free agents after a trio of roster moves on May 10.
ESPN NFL insider Field Yates was the first to announce a portion of the transactions, tweeting that “the Chiefs have signed DB Lamar Jackson, DT Matt Dickerson [and] DT Chris Williams, and waived DB Martez Manuel.”
The league’s official transaction log filled in the gaps, as veteran DT Byron Cowart and OG Blake Haynes were also cut loose by KC. Both Manuel and Haynes were rookie UDFAs.
UPDATE: UDFA cornerback Montrae Braswell was also included in this round of cuts according to the NFL transaction log.
Matt Dickerson Reunion Headlines Chiefs Signings
Of the three additions, Dickerson stands out because he was just with the Chiefs organization in 2022.
The Chiefs originally signed Dickerson on August 8 of last year, after he spent the early portion of the 2022 offseason with the Arizona Cardinals. During training camp in Kansas City, the journeyman D-lineman made enough plays to stick around but didn’t do anything overly impressive in his three preseason outings.
Dickerson did finish with three total preseason tackles, but very little beyond that statistically speaking. In the end, he was poached by the Atlanta Falcons off waivers during the final cutdown. Apparently, the Chiefs liked what they saw enough to bring him back for round two.
Dickerson registered one tackle for a loss (12 total tackles) and one QB hit over six appearances with the Falcons last season. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus gave him a positive overall preseason grade (73.3) and pass-rushing grade (73.6) with the Chiefs before that. His tackling marks were not so strong at an accumulative 30.1 with run defense at 62.2.
Background on Chiefs Signings Lamar Jackson & Chris Williams
As for the two remaining signings, Jackson and Williams are both former UDFAs that have done enough around the league to warrant consideration in camp.
Jackson, a cornerback by trade, began his professional career with the New York Jets in 2020. He actually started six games with NYJ as a rookie due to injuries but was mostly outmatched throughout that opportunity with a PFF coverage grade of 45.8 that season and a whopping 400 passing yards allowed.
He wasn’t much better during stops with the Chicago Bears and AFC West rival Denver Broncos in 2022, although Jackson’s 6-foot-3 frame offers some developmental upside. He just turned 25 in April.
Williams, 24, started within the Indianapolis Colts organization. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle played college ball at Wagner and appeared in 13 games for Indianapolis during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
He’s had very little impact at the NFL level so far (six total tackles, one QB hit), although he did accumulate six sacks, 21.5 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and three blocks at Wagner from 2016 through 2019.
Chiefs Cut DT Byron Cowart, 3 UDFAs
Along with Braswell, Manuel and Haynes — who must not have impressed during rookie minicamp — fifth-year veteran Byron Cowart was also released.
It was likely just a numbers game for the former fifth-round selection of the New England Patriots — especially with two new D-tackles coming in — but it’s still more of a noteworthy decision than the two UDFA cuts. Kansas City inked Cowart on March 24 during the early rounds of NFL free agency.
The initial scouting report detailed a former top high school recruit that spent three years at Auburn and one season at Maryland. Obviously, considering his availability after just three campaigns with the Patriots organization, Cowart struggled in the pros.
His most active season came in 2020, with 14 starts and 27 total tackles — not to mention his first career sack and three TFLs. It wasn’t enough to retain his starting job for another year, however, and the Colts ended up claiming Cowart off waivers in July of 2022.
After an uneventful season in Indy (92 special teams snaps, two tackles for a loss on defense), the journeyman hit the open market this winter. Now, he’ll do so again after a very quick look in KC.
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