Tag: Gehrig Dieter

Former Alabama WR Gehrig Dieter retires from the NFL

Former Alabama alum and Super Bowl Champ retires

After spending five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, former Alabama receiver [autotag]Gehrig Dieter[/autotag] has retired from the NFL. Dieter was a member of the 2019 Chiefs team that won a Super Bowl.

Dieter spent only one year with Alabama after landing in Tuscaloosa via the transfer portal from Bowling Green. In his lone season with Crimson Tide, Dieter posted 15 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Dieter did not hear his name called in the 2017 NFL Draft, but the Chiefs picked him up immediately as an undrafted free agent. He spent the entirety of his career with the Chiefs organization and spent most of his time on the practice squad but did spend some time on the active roster. He made two career catches for 32 yards playing alongside Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes.

On May 5, 2022, Dieter was released by the Chiefs before ultimately retiring on June 8. It will be interesting to see what Dieter does next.

[mm-video type=video id=01g3erc0edgmn96mh7g9 playlist_id=01eqbz6mkdd99nyvkm player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g3erc0edgmn96mh7g9/01g3erc0edgmn96mh7g9-0077f23d44f9c8fde2755441b968c5e4.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=51427]

[lawrence-related id=51406]

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Former Chiefs WR Gehrig Dieter announces retirement from football

Gehrig Dieter is calling it a career after five seasons in the NFL with the #Chiefs.

An undrafted free agent signed by the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2017 NFL season has announced his retirement from football.

On Wednesday morning, Gehrig Dieter announced his retirement from football on Twitter with a quick post, sharing some of his favorite images from his time with the team.

Dieter, nicknamed “The Sheepdog” by Andy Reid, first joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2017. He spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad, working on the scout team with QB Patrick Mahomes, who he became good friends with.

In 2018, Dieter was called up to the 53-man roster for the first time, spending time on the active roster through the playoffs. The next several seasons would prove more challenging for Dieter, though. In 2019, he dealt with a back injury during the offseason which saw him released ahead of the start of the season. Once he was healthy the team signed him back to the practice squad and he bounced around between there and the active roster all season. That’d really be the case for the rest of his playing career in Kansas City, with Dieter spending most of his time on the practice squad with the occasional call-up to the active roster.

Dieter primarily played on special teams with 124 career snaps during his career. He appeared in 13 games in Kansas City from 2018 to 2020 including the playoffs, recording just three receptions for 43 yards on six targets. The coaching staff often praised him for his ability to fill in at any receiver spot at a moment’s notice.

The Chiefs waived Dieter from the 90-man roster ahead of their rookie minicamp, signaling his end with the team and now his end with football.

[listicle id=130597]

Former Alabama WR Gehrig Dieter waived by Kansas City Chiefs

The Former Alabama WR has been waived by the Chiefs.

Former Alabama wide receiver Gehrig Dieter has been waived by the Kansas City Chiefs. Dieter has been a member of the Chiefs since 2017, spending a majority of his time on the practice squad. He was a member of the Chiefs 2020 Super Bowl title, although he did not play in the game.

Dieter spent the first year of his career in Dallas with the SMU Mustangs appearing in no games. He then transferred to Bowling Green for three more seasons before eventually ending up in Tuscaloosa for the 2016 season.

Dieter teamed up with [autotag]Calvin Ridley[/autotag] and [autotag]OJ Howard[/autotag] as a member of the Alabama team that came up just short of Clemson in the national title. During his year with Alabama he posted 15 catches, 214 yards and four touchdowns.

Dieter is still only 29 years old and hopes to find another opportunity with a new team.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players in the NFL.

[mm-video type=video id=01g268cz6b7vgz1bhrvh playlist_id=01eqbz6mkdd99nyvkm player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g268cz6b7vgz1bhrvh/01g268cz6b7vgz1bhrvh-9221efb8bbb1900d87718dfd966396b0.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Latest update on Chiefs’ COVID-19 situation heading into Week 17

The #Chiefs had some Reserve/COVID-19 activations on Monday, along with some practice squad transactions.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to trend in the right direction when it comes to their COVID-19 situation. A trio of players including rookie LB Nick Bolton, RT Lucas Niang and OL Kyle Long each appear to have cleared the NFL’s COVID protocols. All three were listed as activated by the team in their reported transactions on Monday.

Bolton and Niang were technically activated on Saturday in hopes they could test out of the protocols on Sunday, but they were ultimately ruled out for the game. Long formally saw activation from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday per the NFL’s official personnel notice.

In addition to the activations for the 53-man roster, the team restored WR Gehrig Dieter to the practice squad. Dieter was one of three practice squad players dealing with COVID-19. In a corresponding move, the team released P Joseph Charlton from the practice squad.

The following players still remain on the Reserve/COVID-19 list:

  • CB Rashad Fenton
  • DB Armani Watts
  • K Harrison Butker
  • P Tommy Townsend
  • LB Darius Harris (PS)
  • WR Daurice Fountain (PS)

Travis Kelce was technically among the players activated on Saturday, but he’s yet to formally clear the NFL’s COVID protocols to our knowledge. He is still tracking to be cleared for Week 17 and that could come any day now. The Chiefs don’t resume practice until Wednesday.

On a day where the NFL saw a record-high number of players placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Chiefs didn’t have any players added to the list. It signals their outbreak is in the past and that the team shouldn’t have anything more than isolated cases moving forward.

[listicle id=114780]

Super Bowl LV: Two former Alabama players have a shot at rings

Two former Alabama standouts are looking to get Super Bowl rings on Sunday. And regardless of the outcome, one will achieve that goal.

Super Bowl LV is set to get underway on Sunday. Two of the league’s best teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, are set to face-off to close out the NFL season.

Despite the fact that Alabama has more players in the NFL than any other college team, there are only two former Crimson Tide standouts who will have a chance at a Super Bowl ring.

If Tampa Bay wins, former star tight end O.J. Howard will get his first. Unfortunately, he will not be playing in the game after missing most of the 2020 season with a ruptured Achilles.

It’s unfortunate because Howard was expected to be part of a nice trio of tight ends, including Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate, for the Bucs. In 42 career games, Howard has 105 receptions for 1,602 yards and 14 touchdowns.

For the Chiefs, former Alabama wide receiver Gehrig Dieter will be looking for a second Super Bowl ring after helping the team win one in 2019. The third-year receiver is on the practice squad, however, so don’t expect to see him on Sunday.

It’s odd that the two teams participating in this year’s Super Bowl have such a small Alabama presence. But that’s how things played out.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Roll Tide Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Chiefs sign WR Gehrig Dieter to practice squad, release QB Jordan Ta’amu

A few minor transactions on the practice squad for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a few practice squad transactions on Wednesday.

After clearing waivers on Tuesday, the Chiefs have re-signed WR Gehrig Dieter to the practice squad according to the NFL’s official transaction report. Dieter was signed to the 53-man roster for the Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, where he had one reception for 10 yards on the day. He was released by the team this past Monday.

Dieter has been a mainstay in Kansas City, bouncing between the practice squad and 53-man roster since he originally signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2017. Of course, Dieter is known as a stud special teams player, but he’s also heralded by the offensive coaching staff because he knows every receiver position. Having that type of experience is vital for the playoffs, even with four other receivers on the practice squad. It becomes even more essential when you consider that the status of a player like Sammy Watkins is up in the air for Sunday.

In order to make room for Dieter, the team released recently signed QB Jordan Ta’amu from the practice squad. It’s unclear why the team would sign and so promptly release Ta’amu. It could simply be a matter of juggling too many players at once. Perhaps they intend to sign him to a reserve/future contract, but for now, he’ll become a free agent.

[listicle id=85326]

Chiefs activate LB Anthony Hitchens, DE Mike Danna from reserve/COVID-19 list

Some help on the defensive side of the ball for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs will get some defensive reinforcements ahead of their divisional-round game against the Cleveland Browns.

According to the NFL’s official transactions report, the Chiefs have activated LB Anthony Hitchens and DE Mike Danna from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hitchens tweeted last week, indicating that he’d returned to the team facility and would be back from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Danna was only recently placed on the list after being confirmed as a high-risk close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

The return of Hitchens is big news for the Chiefs. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Dec. 22 and missed Week 16 against the Falcons and Week 17 against the Chargers as a result. He’s typically the defensive signal-caller for the team. He wears the green dot and in his absence, the team had relied on Ben Niemann and Darius Harris to relay the play call’s to the defense. Hitchens has also been heralded as the “glue guy” on defense. He makes all the individual units work together and play at their best.

Danna’s return is important for Kansas City too. He’s been a crucial part of the defensive line rotation, even as a rookie. One area where he’s been most impressive is his ability to set the edge in the run game, something that will be tested during the divisional playoff matchup against a Browns team that possesses a strong running game.

In a corresponding move, the team waived WR Gehrig Dieter, who was signed to the 53-man roster for Week 17. Expect Dieter to be re-signed to the practice squad in the coming days assuming he clears waivers.

[listicle id=85244]

Chiefs announce flurry of new roster moves on Saturday

The Chiefs have added several players to the 53-man roster ahead of Week 17’s game with the Chargers.

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced a number of roster moves ahead of their Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The team was expected to make several moves with a number of starters expected to sit out on Sunday and they didn’t disappoint. In total, four new players have been activated to the 53-man roster. The Chiefs announced two standard elevations, a COVID-19 replacement, and more roster moves on Saturday.

Andy Reid hinted that Matt Moore would be elevated to back up Chad Henne. Moore started two games for the Chiefs in 2019 when both Henne and Patrick Mahomes were injured. He had a 1-1 record, completing 51-of-91 passes for 659 yards and four touchdowns to no interceptions.

In addition to Moore, the team elevated veteran offensive lineman Patrick Omameh from the practice squad. Omameh had just joined the team last week but has the ability to play both tackle and guard.

Former first-round draft pick DeAndre Baker, who had used up all of his standard elevations, was designated as a COVID-19 replacement for Anthony Hitchens. He’ll likely be in the mix to start the game alongside players like BoPete Keyes, Antonio Hamilton and Rashad Fenton.

The player signed to the 53-man roster for the Chiefs was none other than Gehrig Dieter. The four-year veteran can play any receiver spot for Kansas City, so it makes sense to have him available with the team set to rest players like Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.

To make room for Dieter, the team released free-agent TE Ricky Seals-Jones. He never had much of an opportunity to play for the Chiefs as a healthy scratch most weeks. Last week he had a chance to play some special teams snaps, but didn’t seem to stand out in his opportunity.

One move the team didn’t make this week was to officially activate Dorian O’Daniel from injured reserve. That means they’ll only have Willie Gay Jr., Darius Harris and Damien Wilson available at the linebacker position this week. That’s a pretty thin group, so I’d expect to see a lot of subpackage personnel this week.

[listicle id=83940]

Chiefs announce several roster moves on Saturday

The Chiefs have added several players to the 53-man roster ahead of Week 16’s game with the Falcons.

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=1YRNNna54h-1074576-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced a number of roster moves ahead of their Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons.

First up, starting middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens has not been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Instead, the team used the COVID-19 replacement designation to elevate WR Gehrig Dieter, signaling Hitchens won’t be back this week. This means that we’ll likely see some sort of duo of Ben Niemann and Willie Gay Jr. as the Chiefs’ starters at the linebacker position. In their base personnel, they’ll also likely use Darius Harris. Remember, Damien Wilson was ruled out this week and Dorian O’Daniel is on injured reserve.

To help solve the depth issues at the linebacker spot the team activated an undrafted free agent in Omari Cobb using a standard elevation. At 6-4 and 223 pounds, Cobb can play both the outside linebacker spots. This is the first time that Cobb has been activated to the 53-man roster since joining the practice squad in 2020.

For the second consecutive week, the team has chosen to elevate CB DeAndre Baker to the 53-man roster. Last week he played in just five snaps on special teams and didn’t get any opportunities to play defense. Look for Baker to perhaps get some looks on defense if the Chiefs jump out to a lead over the Falcons. This will be the last time that he can be activated using the standard elevation, so the Chiefs need to make it count and do a little evaluating.

[listicle id=83940]

Chiefs elevate two players from practice squad on Saturday

Bryan Witzmann and Gehrig Dieter make their returns to the Chiefs’ 53-man roster.

The Kansas City Chiefs have elevated a pair of players from the practice squad ahead of their Week 9 contest against the Carolina Panthers.

The Chiefs announced on Saturday that they’d activated WR Gehrig Dieter and OL Bryan Witzmann from the practice squad. Both players are reinforcing depth at positions where injuries have occurred for the team. Dieter and Witzmann have each spent time on the 53-man roster before, which is a bonus.

WR Sammy Watkins was ruled out earlier today, missing his fourth consecutive game for the Chiefs. RT Mitchell Schwartz was ruled out on Friday, missing his third game of the season with a back injury.

Dieter finished the 2019 season on the 53-man roster. He figures to play mostly special teams for the Chiefs unless there is an injury. The team had elevated WR Marcus Kemp in each of the past three weeks, but he’s no longer able to be elevated using this year’s standard elevation procedure.

Witzmann recently rejoined Kansas City. He was the starter at left guard for the team back in 2017. Similar to Dieter’s situation, the team is no longer able to elevate Danny Isidora using the standard elevation procedure. Witzmann figures to be utilized in a reserve role too.

It appears the team will wait to activate L’Jarius Sneed from injured reserve and Martinas Rankin from the PUP list. These are the only two transactions made by the team ahead of the game on Sunday.

[listicle id=80088]