A pair of transactions for the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
The Kansas City Chiefs have officially signed DB Adrian Colbert according to the NFL’s official transaction report. Colbert’s impending signing was originally revealed on Aug. 18. The team needed him to pass through his COVID-19 screening before being allowed to sign Colbert to the team.
In a corresponding move, the Chiefs have waived undrafted free agent cornerback Hakeem Bailey, who signed with the team following the 2020 NFL Draft. Bailey played collegiate ball at West Virginia, starting in 21 games for the Mountaineers.
Bailey was one of the players that we believed was in danger of being cut when the team was forced down to 80 players from 90. It is still interesting to see the team cut a cornerback, given the depth issues they’ve had there at times during training camp.
Colbert practiced with the Chiefs for the first time on Saturday and was spotted at practice wearing the No. 30 jersey. He didn’t do much in his first practice with the team but expect things to ramp up as he gets the playbook down and gets his feet under him.
You can find out more about the player the Chiefs are getting in Colbert in the film study below:
How does West Virginia UDFA CB Hakeem Bailey fit with the Kansas City Chiefs?
Bailey wasn’t a big-time recruit coming out of Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Georgia. He had a handful of offers after a senior season in which he had four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Bailey had originally committed to Marshall out of high school but chose the junior college route instead. He transferred to West Virginia from Iowa Western Community College, where he had five interceptions and nine passes defended as a redshirt freshman.
While Bailey wasn’t a team captain, he had a reputation among his teammates and coaches at West Virginia as a hard worker. He also has a reputation of being a good student and was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First-Team selection.
Stats:
2017: 11 games played. 35 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and six passes defended.
2018: 11 games played. 42 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one interception and one pass defended.
2019: 12 games played. 57 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one interception and nine passes defended.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a seemingly perpetual need for cornerback depth. They’ve had some success in the past with undrafted free agent defensive backs. Look no further than the group of starters from 2019 and you’ll find players like Charvarius Ward and Daniel Sorensen, who started their careers as undrafted free agents.
While Bailey doesn’t have the best ball production with the Mountaineers, he did do a good job of actively being around the football. At West Virginia, they track players on GPS during practice and Bailey was always one of the players who covered the most ground. That effort carried over on game day. He even had a knack for breaking off his responsibility to go and help a teammate out once the ball is in the air.
Bailey has the size and versatility to play outside corner or the slot. He’s a willing tackler, which is something that the coaching staff in Kansas City demands of their corners. He’ll ultimately have to start off playing special teams with the Chiefs, and he has seen some success during the course of his career. He had a blocked field goal against Baylor in 2018 and even had some success on special teams in high school.
