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On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced a shower of transactions leading up to their AFC Divisional Round date with the Cleveland Browns, including a pair of new additions to the roster.
According to the team, the defending Super Bowl champions have signed journeyman TE Evan Baylis, formerly of the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, and OL Prince Tega Wanogho, a sixth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles last April, to the practice squad.
The latter was one of seven players to visit Kansas City earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, the Chiefs activated TE Ricky Seals-Jones to the 53-man roster and released DB Rodney Clemons from the practice squad.
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In addition, two fellow practice squaders — WR Gehrig Dieter and DB Chris Lammons — were elevated for Sunday’s game against the Browns. Teams now have unlimited practice squad activations in the postseason, hence the reason the former is allowed to rejoin the roster.
Finally, Kansas City swapped a pair of players on injured reserve, activating special teams stalwart and LB Dorian O’Daniel while sending backup TE Deon Yelder to the list, likely for the remainder of the season.
Prince Tega Wanogho Dubbed ‘Steal’ of 2020 NFL Draft
The most intriguing of this weekend’s moves is easily the addition of Tega Wanogho, a Nigerian-born basketball and soccer player turned football star after moving to the United States with $20 in high school.
As a rookie who was waived in September and reverted to Philadelphia’s practice squad, Tega Wanogho’s contract with the Eagles expired on Monday, freeing him up to sign with any other team.
In a potentially sneaky move by head coach Andy Reid against his former club, the Chiefs have now added what some deemed to be the “steal of the draft” last offseason, including Tega Wanagho’s former college coach Gus Malzahn.
Gus Malzahn says he thinks the Philadelphia Eagle’s sixth-round pick of Prince Tega Wanogho might be “the steal of the draft.”
#Eagles sixth round OT Prince Tega Wanogho (@tega441) from @AuburnFootball could end up being the steal of this draft class. Knee injury forced him to miss the @seniorbowl and Combine but he has eventual starter level talent. #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE
The 23-year-old will join veteran offensive linemen Bryan Witzmann and Patrick Omameh on the practice squad, and given his upside, is a strong candidate to receive a reserve/future deal in the days or weeks to come.
Tega Wanogho Profiles as a Future Starting Tackle
The 6-foot-5, 308-pounder, a two-time All-SEC selection who started 32 games at Auburn, is a raw, but physically gifted protector who slipped to the sixth round last year due to a lateral meniscus tear. The knee injury also forced him to miss the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, likely contributing to his draft-day slide.
In a pre-draft scouting report on the athletic lineman, The Draft Network’s director of scouting Kyle Crabbs noted just how high Tega Wanagho’s ceiling might be:
Prince Tega Wanogho projects as a viable starting LT in the NFL. With plenty of room to grow, Tega Wanogho has Pro Bowl potential given his physical tools — he’s got terrific short area movement skills, functional power, length and foot quickness who projects best into a gap/power system and a West Coast passing offense. Tega Wanogho came to the United States in pursuit of basketball initially and is still green to the game, so he’ll continue to blossom with more coaching.
NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller, formerly of Bleacher Report, also suggested that “He’s a bit scheme specific, but with continued development, he could be a year-after-year starter.”
For those interesting in learning more about his journey to the U.S., this August 2019 ESPN profile on Tega Wanogho is a must-read.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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Chiefs Sign Former Eagles Draft ‘Steal’ & Ex-Packers Tight End