The Kansas City Chiefs will be getting some in-house defensive line help for the stretch run.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm, the Chiefs have added DE Tim Ward to the 53-man roster. The team will have a vacancy on the roster with DE Taco Charlton suffering an ankle fracture and a forthcoming move to injured reserve.
Ward, 23, joined Kansas City as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion following the 2019 NFL Draft. He had participated in the Regional Combine Invitational that took place at team facilities that year. He also took a pre-draft visit with the team.
#Chiefs activated DE Tim Ward to the 53-man roster, per source.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) November 12, 2020
Ward was one of two undrafted free agents that essentially received a redshirt year in 2019. He dealt with a significant knee injury suffered in college and spent the entire year rehabbing and recovering. Here is what Brett Veach said about Ward after the team signed him:
“Then one other guy that you might not see this year, but I think that this Tim Ward from Old Dominion. He was a guy that tore his knee, I don’t know that he’ll be ready this year, but he’s going to be a prototypical Steve Spagnuolo defensive end. He’s long, athletic, started playing football late, and everyone kind of went in there to evaluate the (Oshane) Ximines kid who got drafted at Old Dominion, this was a kid that one of our scouts, Mike Davis, had mentioned, ‘Hey, they’ve got this other defensive end and he’s raw as all get-out, started playing football late.’ The late tape at Old Dominion he really started coming on, we had him in here for one of the workouts here. The NFL conducted another combine here that we had and he had come to that. Spent a lot of time with him. You may not see him this year, but we’re going to take our time with his rehab, we’re not going to rush him, and he could be a guy that could really develop and be a player in the future.”
Listed at 6-6 and 255 pounds, Ward should provide a solid rotational piece for Kansas City. The team clearly added him with Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme in mind. They’re currently lacking a dime-package rusher with Charlton sidelined, so it’ll be interesting to see how effective Ward is in that role. The coaching staff clearly has some faith in his development given the decision to call him up to the 53-man roster.
This move hasn’t yet been made official by the team, but expect this move and a corresponding transaction to come later today when the NFL releases its official transaction report.
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