The Kansas City Chiefs hosted a slew of veterans for practice squad tryouts today, on August 28, and former Chicago Bears third-round pick Zacch Pickens headlined the group. Although ex-Chiefs first-round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is among the candidates, too — as reported yesterday afternoon.
The Chiefs will be bringing in six players for visits on Thursday, and tentatively plan to sign [them] to the practice squad if all goes well,” Chiefs Digest beat reporter Matt Derrick informed on the evening of August 27.
Derrick also noted that “the Chiefs officially have three open spots on the practice squad.” Adding: “Robert Tonyan will move to the active roster to make four available. If all six sign, two spots will need to be made available.”
The new potential recruits were Edwards-Helaire, Pickens, DT Brodric Martin, DE Ethan Downs, DE Tyreke Smith, and FS Jammie Robinson. Like Martin, Pickens is a defensive tackle.
UPDATE: Later in the morning, on August 28, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach confirmed the practice squad additions of Pickens and Martin (per Derrick), as well as Edwards-Helaire (per KC Star beat reporter Pete Sweeney), as those three vets were officially signed.
More on Zacch Pickens & the 6 Total Chiefs Practice Squad Tryouts
Chiefs fans know all about Edwards-Helaire, so we don’t have to go into too much detail there. Now that Kansas City has re-signed him, “CEH” slots in as additional RB depth with a strong knowledge of Andy Reid’s offense and playbook.
As for the others, Pickens is a 6-foot-4 defensive tackle who has appeared in 26 regular season NFL games, starting 3 of them. Having just turned 25 years old in March, the former Bear has recorded 1.5 career sacks and 2 tackles for a loss, as well as 1 forced fumble, 4 QB hits and 1 pass breakup.
Pickens was cut by a new coaching staff in Chicago, although current Bears general manager Ryan Poles was the same GM who selected him in 2023. Poles also worked for the Chiefs‘ front office before taking the GM position in Chicago, so there’s a slight scouting connection there.
Martin is another failed third-round talent from the 2023 draft class. He was selected by the Detroit Lions and has appeared in 5 regular season outings for them over the past two years, starting 1 game.
Martin has been credited with 4 total tackles, but has not recorded any other statistics. The 26-year-old is slightly taller than Pickens, at 6-foot-5.
As for the tryouts who did not officially sign, as of August 28, Downs (6-foot-4) is an undrafted rookie defensive end who spent his initial training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent four years at Oklahoma before entering the NFL, racking up 12.5 sacks and 110 total tackles over 51 appearances.
Moving down the list, edge rusher Tyreke Smith (6-foot-3, 25 years old) was a fifth-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. He only appeared in 1 game with the Seahawks before moving on to the division rival Arizona Cardinals for another 2 appearances. Smith has not been on the field much over his three-year career.
Lastly, Robinson is a former fifth-round DB of the Carolina Panthers who has appeared in 21 regular season outings (2 starts) as a core special teamer and part-time defender. He logged 20 total career tackles with Carolina.
Is Mike Pennel Returning to Kansas City After Surprise Release?
Veteran tight end Robert Tonyan and veteran safety Mike Edwards have both already returned on practice squad deals following their unexpected releases at the 53-man roster cutdown. But there was no mention of the third big-name veteran release, defensive tackle Mike Pennel, until Veach spoke on Thursday morning.
“That’s just a position that we’re kind of hyper-focused on and trying to get that competition better and get more consistency,” Veach said via Derrick, regarding one-tech defensive tackle.
On Pennel, specifically, the Chiefs GM confirmed that the two sides are parting ways for now, but left the door open for a reunion at a later date.
“I think we’d always be open to [Pennel returning] for sure,” Veach replied. “Mike’s a guy that, I mean, he’s a special human being, and we love Mike, and he’s one of those guys that I feel every time we’ve gotten him back in short spurts, it’s been the best he has.”
“I mean, even at his age, he’s a juice guy, he’s an energy guy,” the GM continued. “We love him, so, certainly keeping that door open as well. I think all options are open for us at that position.”
When the Chiefs traded for Derrick Nnadi, it was the first clear sign that the Chiefs were considering moving on from the 34-year-old two-time Super Bowl champ.
Now, they’ve brought in younger players like Pickens and Martin, too, making Pennel’s long-term future with the organization murky at best.
Chiefs Sign 2 Ex-Third-Round Talents, Make Practice Squad Reunion Official: Report