The Kansas City Chiefs have made a late-week practice squad protection, using one of their four allotted protections.
According to the NFL’s official personnel notice, the Chiefs have protected WR Daurice Fountain on the practice squad. This decision comes following the news that WR Marcus Kemp had been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Connecting the dots, this could signal that the coaching staff intends to elevate Fountain to the 53-man roster via standard elevation ahead of the Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys..
Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Chiefs WR coach Joe Bleymaier explained how they were preparing given Kemp’s addition to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
“Yeah, I mean, next man up,” Bleymaier said. “So, we’ll have people ready to go and when their opportunity this week arises they’ll go make the most of it. . . So next guy up, we’ll have guys ready. They’ll be excited for it. . .”
Should Fountain be a gameday elevation, he should be prepared to participate in the offense if need be. The 6-1 and 210-pound wideout was the Chiefs’ leading receiver during the preseason, catching 10 passes for 118 yards. He also came on strong on special teams toward the end of the preseason, recovering an onside kick in the final game.
Fountain initially earned a spot on the 53-man roster out of training camp, but was a healthy scratch for the first five games of the season before he was released. He later re-signed to the practice squad in Kansas City and has quietly been working and waiting for his opportunity. That opportunity looks like it could be coming against the Cowboys.
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