Tag: marcus kemp

Chiefs sign QB Jordan Ta’amu to practice squad, cut Tyler Clark

Jordan Ta’amu is back with the Kansas City Chiefs after his practice squad contract with the Detroit Lions expired.

The Kansas City Chiefs have brought back a familiar face at the quarterback position on their practice squad.

According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs have signed QB Jordan Ta’amu to the practice squad. Ta’amu was previously a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad this season. They released him back in late October and he signed with the Detroit Lions practice squad in December. His contract with the Lions expired on Monday morning, making him free to sign with any team. Instead of signing a reserve/future deal elsewhere, he chose to come back to Kansas City, where he spent the 2020 offseason.

Ta’amu was a standout player in the XFL before joining the Chiefs, recording the top completion percentage in the league at 72% and the third-most passing yards with 1,050, tossing five touchdown in the process. He spent the offseason with the Chiefs and was signed to the practice squad in Kansas City shortly after 53-man roster cuts. One of his teammates in the quarterback room is happy to have him back.

One reason that the Chiefs may have opted to bring Ta’amu back is because of the role he played on the scout team earlier in the season. Ahead of Week 3, Ta’amu played Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson for the scout team offense. With Jackson still in the playoffs, it’s possible that the Chiefs feel he has the better skill set to mimic players like Jackson or even Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield on the scout team.

In order to make room for Ta’amu, Kansas City cut DT Tyler Clark who they had recently signed to the practice squad. They also placed CB DeAndre Baker on the practice squad injured list, effectively ending his season after he broke his femur in Week 17. Their final practice squad move was to make the signing of special teams ace and WR Marcus Kemp official.

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Report: Chiefs to re-sign WR Marcus Kemp to practice squad

A key special teamer is set to return to the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs will return another familiar face to the practice squad ahead of the divisional round of the playoffs.

According to Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick, the team intends to sign former Chiefs WR Marcus Kemp to the practice squad. Kemp originally signed as the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has bounced between the roster and practice squad ever since.

Kemp had recently signed to the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad after being released from the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. His contract with the Dolphins expired on Monday morning, making him an unrestricted free agent and free to return to Kansas City.

Kemp had been added and waived from the Chiefs’ 53-man roster multiple times this season. He had also used up his two practice squad standard elevations, which in-part caused his decision to sign with the Dolphins instead of returning to the Chiefs’ practice squad.

The NFL has since altered the rules for practice squad elevations, allowing unlimited standard elevations throughout the course of the playoffs. That means that the Chiefs will have the ability to elevate Kemp— who is a stud special teams player— during the playoffs when he rejoins the team.

In order to make room for Kemp on the practice squad, expect the Chiefs to move CB DeAndre Baker to the practice squad injured list. He suffered a fractured femur in the Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Look for the transactions to re-sign Kemp to be made official in the coming days after he clears COVID-19 protocols.

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Chiefs re-sign WR Chad Williams to practice squad

The Grambling State product returns to the Chiefs’ practice squad.

For the second time this season, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed WR Chad Williams to the practice squad.

According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs re-signed Williams to the practice squad on Friday. Williams was in Kansas City, along with WR Tajae Sharpe, on Thursday for a visit. The former third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals had first joined the practice squad in Kansas City back in late September. He was released in November to make room for CB DeAndre Baker.

The Chiefs also plan to sign Sharpe to the practice squad once he clears the league’s COVID-19 protocols. That will bring the total number of receivers on the practice squad up to five including Jody Fortson, Maurice Ffrench and Gehrig Dieter.

Williams, 26, played with the Cardinals for two seasons, recording 20 catches for 202 yards. In 2019, he was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts, spending time on their practice squad before being elevated to the 53-man roster late in the year.

After the release of WR Marcus Kemp, it’s smart for the team to add another player that knows the system. Williams is someone who could play gunner on special teams for Kansas City, just as Kemp did. Since Williams hadn’t been elevated from the practice squad yet this season, the Chiefs will still have the ability to elevate him twice in the coming weeks and during the playoffs. That could prove to be valuable with players like Gehrig Dieter already having exhausted their practice squad elevations for the season.

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Chiefs release WR Marcus Kemp from 53-man roster

Expect Kemp to return to the practice squad for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have released WR Marcus Kemp from the 53-man roster according to the NFL’s official transaction report.

Kemp, 25, was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster back in late November after the team suffered an injury to WR Byron Pringle. As it turns out he’d fill even more shoes when Sammy Watkins dealt with injury and Mecole Hardman was on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Kemp originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2017 and has done stints on both the practice squad and 53-man roster alike.

Kemp played 34 total offensive snaps since Week 6, catching a single pass for 11 yards in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos. Most of his contributions this year have come on special teams, where he’s been one of the starting gunners for Kansas City.

It’d stand to reason that Kemp would return to the practice squad for the Chiefs if he clears waivers, especially with a free spot available following the departure of Danny Isidora. This move could signal a number of different things, such as Pringle’s potential return from injured reserve or the team having a need at another position.

Kansas City already had one free spot on the 53-man roster prior to this move. This will open up a second spot for the team to fill ahead of Week 15’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

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Chiefs make a pair of roster moves on Saturday

A safety leaves the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster, while a receiver joins it.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a pair of roster moves ahead of their Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelisserro and confirmed by KC Star beat writer Herbie Teope, the Chiefs plan to release defensive back Tedric Thompson. Over the past two games, Thompson had been a healthy scratch for the Chiefs. He played 71 defensive snaps in the first four games of the season, but his snaps have fallen off since with the exception of a 17-snap game in Week 7.

Thompson joined the team as a free agent this offseason, signing a one-year deal with Kansas City. The former Seattle Seahawk was really used to help get Juan Thornhill healthy and acclimated in his return from injury early in the season.

Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick confirmed that in a corresponding move the team will sign WR Marcus Kemp off of the practice squad. The team no longer had the ability to elevate Kemp to the 53-man roster using this year’s practice squad elevation rules as he’d already been elevated twice earlier in the season.

Kemp makes a lot of sense when it comes to replacing some of the snaps lost with Byron Pringle’s move to injured reserve. At 6-4 and 210 pounds, he offers the team a different type of receiver than they currently have on the 53-man roster. He’s been called the best gunner on the team by Dave Toub before, so his impact on special teams is obvious.

Kemp was also a budding star on offense before a season-ending knee injury during the 2019 preseason. If he had to step in and play snaps on offense, there’s no doubt that he’d take full advantage of that opportunity.

There could be more roster moves on the way for Kansas City. We’ll find out about those later today when the league officially releases the transaction report.

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Chiefs elevate two players for Week 7 vs. Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs will have two practice squad players available to play on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs have elevated a pair of players ahead of their Week 7 contest against the Denver Broncos.

One of the new features of NFL practice squads during the 2020 season is the ability to elevate two players to the active roster. Players are designated as “COVID-19 replacements” or elevated using the “Standard Elevation” addendum. When the game is over the players simply go back to the practice squad. The one catch is that this can only be used twice on a player before they’re subject to waivers.

This week marks the first week all season that the Chiefs have elevated their two allotted players according to the NFL’s official transaction report. First, they elevated WR Marcus Kemp using the “Standard Elevation.” Kemp was also elevated last week, so this would be the last time Kansas City would be allowed to elevate the special teams ace in such a fashion.

In addition to Kemp, the team elevated OL Danny Isidora. Isidora was the only player the Chiefs protected on the practice squad earlier in the week. The team, of course, is shorthanded along the offensive line with injuries to Mitchell Schwartz and Kelechi Osemele.

Isidora first joined the team in September as a member of the practice squad. He was a former fifth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 and has spent some time with Miami Dolphins as well. The 6-3 and 306-pound offensive lineman has spent most of his career, NFL and college, playing the guard position. That’ll likely be the area that he’s prepared to fill in if the Chiefs suffer another injury.

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Chiefs add WR Marcus Kemp to practice squad

Kemp is back with the team after being released on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs released WR Marcus Kemp from their 53-man roster on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Kemp cleared waivers and after a very brief stint away from the team, he’s now rejoined as a member of the practice squad according to the NFL’s official transaction report. This was a move that we expected the team to make despite the fact that they already had four receivers on the practice squad. With Jordan Ta’amu on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Chiefs have just 13 players available on their 16-man practice squad including Kemp.

Kemp has experience working on the practice squad in Kansas City. He spent most of his rookie season in 2017 on the practice squad, before being promoted to the 53-man roster later in the year. He spent the entire 2018 season on the 53-man roster for the Chiefs as one of the starting gunners for the team. His value has been in his special teams ability thus far in his career.

This season on the 53-man roster, Kemp was one of the starting gunners for in K.C., so it’ll be interesting to see who gets work there opposite Byron Pringle. In the past, they’ve used guys like Demarcus Robinson. Antonio Hamilton could get some work there, as Dave Toub previously said he was the best gunner the team had. I could also see BoPete Keyes getting an opportunity there moving forward. Really the Chiefs have a number of players who could fill in at that position.

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Chiefs waive WR Marcus Kemp from 53-man roster

Kemp could return to Kansas City on the practice squad.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have released WR Marcus Kemp from the 53-man roster following the Week 4 contest against the New England Patriots. The move came down on the NFL’s official transaction report on Tuesday.

Kemp made the 53-man roster ahead of the 2020 NFL season after signing on as a late addition during training camp. He first signed on with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Hawaii back in 2017.

The 6-4 and 210-pound receiver spent the bulk of the 2017 season on the practice squad. He’d first make the 53-man roster in 2018, appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City as one of the starting gunners on special teams. He looked primed for a bigger role in 2019, but suffered a torn ACL in the preseason, knocking him out for the entire season.

In 2020, Kemp’s role has also been primarily on special teams with 55 total snaps and two tackles on the season. He’s eligible to return to the Chiefs practice squad if he clears waivers. They currently have a spot clear for him on the practice squad as well.

The Chiefs haven’t yet made a corresponding move on the 53-man roster. Bashaud Breeland did come off of the suspended list today, but the team received a roster exemption until Monday, Oct. 12. Kansas City doesn’t need to create a roster spot for him until then, though it’d make sense that this move clears a spot for Breeland.

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Chiefs had three players in for tryouts on Monday, including WR Marcus Kemp

A familiar face was in Kansas City for a tryout on Monday.

The NFL lifted its moratorium on tryouts at team facilities and the Kansas City Chiefs have reported their first three tryouts of 2020, including a familiar face. According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs brought WR Marcus Kemp, CB Kemon Hall, and CB Brandon Williams for tryouts on Monday.

The Chiefs are most familiar with Kemp, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Hawaii in 2017. He appeared in 16 games for the Chiefs in 2018, but only recorded one catch for seven yards. Kemp was tracking to make the 53-man roster and have a bigger role in 2019 when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL during the Week 2 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If Kemp is close to being fully recovered from his knee injury, he could certainly help the team as they deal with some soft tissue injuries to a few players at the WR position. He was also a starting gunner in Kansas City, so his return could churn some competition on special teams too.

The team is also dealing with some injuries to the CB group, including a season-ending injury for Alex Brown. They brought in Hall, who was a 2019 undrafted free agent signing out of North Texas by the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished the 2019 season on the practice squad with the Minnesota Vikings. He was cut two weeks ago by the Vikings to make room for players returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hall was known as a playmaker in college, recording five interceptions and 14 passes defended as a senior.

Williams, a 2016 third-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, spent the 2019 season on injured reserve after having surgery for a back injury. The 6-foot 200-pound CB appeared in 45 games for the Cardinals, starting in three games over the course of three seasons. He recorded 38 total tackles and five passes defended. He was primarily utilized on special teams, but he does have some man coverage ability. It’s worth noting he spent two seasons with Tyrann Mathieu in Arizona, so two former teammates could be reunited in Kansas City.

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Chiefs won’t tender contract to ERFA WR Marcus Kemp, TE David Wells

The Kansas City Chiefs are letting an injured exclusive rights free agent walk in free agency.

We have another decision from the Kansas City Chiefs as it relates to exclusive rights free agents.

According to multiple reports, the Chiefs won’t be bringing back WR Marcus Kemp, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Kemp was expected to have a much larger role for the Chiefs during the 2019 season. He was tracking to make the 53-man roster before suffering a torn ACL and MCL during the Week 2 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was ultimately sent to injured reserve ahead of the start of the regular season.

Keep in mind as an ERFA, he’d earn a minimum salary if he were tendered a contract.

Kemp has proven to be a valuable special teams player for the Chiefs. If he makes a full recovery from his injury he could still become a contributor on offense too.

“He was a high-level player for us last year,” Special Teams coach Dave Toub said of Kemp during the 2019 offseason. “He was our starting gunner and made plays all year long. I feel really good about him going forward. I think where he has really stepped up now is on offense. He’s starting to make a lot more plays on offense, and that’s a good thing because then the offensive coaches feel comfortable about him. He’s in a good place because they feel comfortable and I feel comfortable. He’s doing well.”

This could be a scenario similar to what happened with former Chiefs WR De’Anthony Thomas, who wasn’t re-signed initially following the 2018 season after breaking his leg. He rejoined Kansas City in 2019 after recovering in full from his injury.

There should be some outside interest in Kemp in free agency, but with player visits seemingly on hiatus due to coronavirus concerns. There remains a chance that Kemp bides his time and rejoins the Chiefs ahead of or during the 2020 season.

Another injured ERFA, TE David Wells, won’t be tendered by the Chiefs either according to reports. Wells signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs for the 2019 season after spending time on their practice squad in 2018.

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