Tag: Elijah McGuire

Chiefs make several practice squad transactions on Wednesday

The #Chiefs continue to shuffle their practice squad for the playoffs, releasing another player, signing two veterans and restoring a player from the practice squad COVID-19 list.

After releasing four players from the practice squad on Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs continue to tinker with their practice squad. They have now made some new additions to their practice squad. They also released another player and restored a player from the practice squad COVID-19 list.

Let’s start with the additions, though.

According to the NFL’s personnel notice for Wednesday, the Chiefs signed DT Andrew Billings and OT Roderick Johnson to the practice squad. Both fill two of six veteran spots permitted on the practice squad.

Billings, 26, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2016 NFL draft out of Baylor. He spent four seasons with the Bengals, starting 37 games, recording 80 combined tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Billings signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2020, but he opted out of the season due to COVID-19. The Browns waived Billings in November of this season and he would get picked up by the Miami Dolphins, signing to their practice squad.

Johnson, 26, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017 out of Florida State. The St. Louis, Missouri native never appeared in a game for the Browns, but he would go on to earn a shot with the Houston Texans from 2018-2020, where he has played right tackle, left tackle and guard.

While Billings and Johnson can provide some immediate depth for the Chiefs on the practice squad, they also could be players retained for 2022 as well. Billings is particularly intriguing given the pending free agents at the defensive tackle position (Derrick Nnadi and Jarran Reed).

In addition to the players signed to the practice squad, the Chiefs released RB Elijah McGuire. The acquisition of former 2019 sixth-round draft pick, Darwin Thompson, made McGuire expendable.

Finally, the Chiefs also restored TE Mark Vital back to the practice squad. He was placed on the practice squad COVID-19 list seven days ago and is now cleared to return.

In terms of non-practice squad moves, the Chiefs signed WR Chris Finke to a reserve/future contract. The team hosted Finke, who was with Kansas City during the 2021 offseason, on a visit on Tuesday.

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Chiefs to sign RB Elijah McGuire to practice squad

The #Chiefs are adding a familiar face at running back to the practice squad according to a new report.

The Kansas City Chiefs are adding some reinforcements at the running back position to their 16-man practice squad.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs have signed RB Elijah McGuire to the practice squad. The former sixth-round draft pick by the Jets spent two seasons in New York, carrying the ball 181 times for over 500 yards and four touchdowns. McGuire has spent time on the practice squad with Kansas City over the past two seasons, but he hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since 2018.

McGuire was having a solid training camp and preseason this year, before suffering a high ankle sprain in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers. He caught two passes for 27 yards and carried the ball once for three yards before suffering the injury. He was placed on injured reserve before being released from injured reserve with an injury settlement.

The Chiefs are expected to be without first-string RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire for 2-3 weeks as he recovers from a mild MCL sprain. The team might even elect to leave him on the 53-man roster and not place him on injured reserve. While Derrick Gore is likely the first man called up to the roster, the addition of McGuire gives Kansas City some much-needed depth and security at the position.

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Chiefs re-sign RB Elijah McGuire on one-year contract

McGuire is back with the Chiefs after spending the 2020 season in Dallas and Miami.

The Kansas City Chiefs are re-signing a former practice squad player.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jordan Schultz, RB Elijah McGuire is signing with the Chiefs on a one-year contract. This report was later confirmed by Kansas City Star beat writer Herbie Teope, who added that he’ll receive a veteran minimum deal.

McGuire was first signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad back in November of 2019. He spent the entire season there, through Super Bowl LIV, earning a ring with the team. Kansas City brought McGuire back on a reserve/future deal in 2020, but he didn’t make the 53-man roster out of training camp.

McGuire signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad at the start of the 2020 season. He was released from that opportunity in October. He’d go on to sign with the Miami Dolphins practice squad and was actually elevated to the 53-man roster in Week 14 against the Chiefs. He didn’t play a single snap on offense or special teams during the game and was released shortly after.

Kansas City team brought McGuire in for a workout after the Week 15 injury of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but they never signed him. His signing now makes sense as the team looks to round out the 90-man offseason roster. The 5-10 and 215-pound running back knows the system already and can compete for a roster spot if he makes it to the offseason program. His contract is unlikely to have any impact on the salary cap.

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Chiefs sign former Jets RB Elijah McGuire to practice squad

In an attempt to reinforce depth at running back due to injuries, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed Elijah McGuire to the team’s practice squad.

In an attempt to reinforce depth at running back due to injuries, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed Elijah McGuire to the team’s practice squad according to the NFL’s transaction report.

The Chiefs made the decision to sign McGuire due to injuries suffered by both Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy. The two top running backs were forced to leave the Week 11 Monday Night Football victory over the Los Angeles Chargers with injuries. While McCoy seems to be okay according to Andy Reid, we don’t yet have an injury update on Williams. Look for that to arrive on Wednesday when the first injury report of the week is released.

Any injury will open up an opportunity for rookie Darwin Thompson who hasn’t seen much playing time this season. However, it’s still important to be prepared in case further injury strikes. The signing of McGuire will be an essential insurance option heading into the Week 13 matchup with the Oakland Raiders. McGuire was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He caught 36 passes for 370 yards scoring four touchdowns to go along with 591 rushing yards in the last two seasons for New York. He served in primarily a reserve role during his tenure.

The 27-year-old’s playmaking fits the Chiefs playing style as he’s been known for his versatility out of the backfield. He caught 130 passes while in college at Lousiana-Lafayette, so the ball skills are second nature for the journeyman halfback.

The Chiefs did not make a corresponding move on the practice squad as Gehrig Dieter was elevated prior to Week 11. McGuire will fill the spot vacated by Dieter. The team hasn’t made an official announcement concerning the running back rotation for Raiders week, but this is another viable option if the injuries continue to pile up.

Report: Texans work out veteran RBs Jeremy Hill, Elijah McGuire

On Tuesday, the Houston Texans worked out free agent veteran running backs Jeremy Hill and Elijah McGuire.

The Houston Texans worked out veteran free agent running backs Jeremy Hill and Elijah McGuire on Tuesday, according to Aaron Reiss of The Athletic.

Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Hill’s work out went “very well.” However, the Texans did not sign him immediately.

Hill, 27, last played with the New England Patriots. He tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2018 season — against the Texans — and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve. The LSU product rushed for 25 yards on four attempts before sustaining the season-ending injury.

Before New England, Hill called Cincinnati home. In four seasons with the Bengals, the 6-1, 230-pound tailback recorded 2,873 yards and 29 touchdowns on 704 attempts in 54 games( 43 starts). He finished his 2017 season on the injured reserve with an ankle injury.

McGuire, 25, was a New York Jets sixth-round pick in 2017 out of Louisiana-Lafayette. In 24 games as a rotational cog in the New York backfield, the 5-10, 214-pound back rushed for 591 yards and four touchdowns on 180 attempts.

McGuire spent half of his 2018 campaign on the injured reserve (foot). The Jets released him on Aug. 31, before the Cleveland Browns added him to the practice squad. The Browns waived him on Oct. 22.

Houston, in 2019, has employed a two-headed rushing attack in Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson. On the year, the two have combined for 231 touches for 1,241 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns.