Tag: protections

Chiefs protect 2 practice squad players for Week 10

The #Chiefs have protected a pair of players ahead of their Week 10 game against the #Raiders.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a pair of practice squad players ahead of their Week 10 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kansas City protected QB Shane Buechele and CB Dicaprio Bootle according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Tuesday. This marks the sixth consecutive week the team has opted to protect Buechele. It’s the third time the team has protected Bootle and the first time they’ve done so since Week 6.

The Chiefs continue to show a commitment to Buechele, who looks to be in line to compete for the No. 2 QB job in coming seasons. With some attrition at the QB position throughout the league, Kansas City continues to protect Buechele to ensure that he is not signed away by an opponent.

As for the decision to protect Bootle, it’s slightly troubling. L’Jarius Sneed had a standout performance against the Green Bay Packers, with Andy Reid calling it the best game of his career. He did briefly check out of the game with an injury and go into the blue medical tent before returning to the game. Bootle is the Chiefs’ backup nickel corner and his protection could indicate that Sneed is dealing with something more significant than originally let on.

It also could signal that a team was looking to sign Bootle from the practice squad. There have been a number of injuries and releases in secondaries across the league. With the trade deadline past, teams are now taking a harder look at the players on opposing practice squads.

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Chiefs protect practice squad QB Shane Buechele for Week 9

The #Chiefs have protected a single player on the practice squad ahead of their Week 9 game against the #Packers.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a single player ahead of their Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers.

Kansas City protected QB Shane Buechele according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Wednesday. This marks the fifth consecutive week the team has opted to protect Buechele.

This week also marks the first time in several weeks that the team has decided to not protect a linebacker, which indicates that Anthony Hitchens could be close to returning to action for the Chiefs. They’d previously protected Darius Harris for two consecutive weeks, elevating him to the 53-man roster both times. They’d also protected LB Christian Rozeboom back in Week 7, but he was signed to the Rams’ 53-man roster today.

The Chiefs have continued to protect their investment in Buechele by protecting him from poaching on the practice squad each week. It’s notable that they did so this week with a team like the Packers coming to town. They, of course, lost Aaron Rodgers to the COVID-19 list this morning and are short-handed at the quarterback position. The attrition of the NFL season is tough to navigate, but Kansas City is doing everything in its power to ensure that Buechele stays with the team for this season and beyond.

There are also some other short-term reasons to protect Buechele. Second-string QB Chad Henne banged up a finger on his throwing hand in practice last week. He was active on Monday, but it’s certainly something to monitor moving forward.

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Chiefs protect 2 practice squad players for Week 8

The #Chiefs have protected a pair of practice squad players ahead of their “Monday Night Football” tilt with the #Giants

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a pair of players on the practice squad ahead of their Week 8 game against the New York Giants.

Kansas City protected QB Shane Buechele and LB Darius Harris according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Wednesday. This is the second consecutive week that the team has protected Harris and the fourth consecutive week the team has opted to protect Buechele. This actually marks the fewest practice squad protections for the team since Week 5, when they first protected Buechele.

Harris was elevated to the 53-man roster last week via standard elevation, playing just two special teams snaps. His experience playing SAM and MIKE linebacker is an asset for Kansas City right now with Anthony Hitchens still dealing with an elbow injury. The protection for Harris also signals that Hitchens will likely be out with his injury for a second consecutive week.

The Chiefs’ continued protection of Buechele likely has nothing to do with the upcoming week, but instead, it shows their commitment to the rookie. Current backup QB Chad Henne is scheduled to become a free agent in 2022. Kansas City would be wise to work to develop a player like Buechele behind Mahomes so they don’t have to exhaust money on a backup. By protecting him each week, they’re ensuring that no other team signs him away and that he’s with the Chiefs for the long haul.

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Chiefs protect 4 practice squad players for Week 7

The #Chiefs protected four practice squad players on Tuesday, using their four allotted protections for the first time in a single week this season.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected four players on the practice squad ahead of their Week 7 game against the Tennessee Titans.

QB Shane Buechele, DE Demone Harris, LB Darius Harris and LB Christian Rozeboom were all protected by Kansas City on Tuesday per the NFL’s official personnel notice. Buechele and Demone Harris are going on three consecutive weeks of practice squad protections for Kansas City. Darius Harris and Rozeboom are both being protected for the first time this season.

This marks the most players protected by the Chiefs in a single week in 2021. Teams are allowed to protect as many as four players on the practice squad each week. Players who are not protected can leave the team to sign to another team’s active roster. Those who are protected for the week are not permitted to sign with other teams.

The decisions to protect the two linebackers suggest that the Chiefs could be without starter Anthony Hitchens for some time. Hitchens suffered an elbow injury during the Week 6 win in Washington. As of Monday, the Chiefs were still awaiting MRI results from his injury.

Hitchens wears the green dot for the Chiefs’ defense and is one of the team’s most indispensable defensive players because of that. Darius Harris has filled in at the middle linebacker position last season, so he’d be a logical player signed to the 53-man roster if Hitchens was to be placed on injured reserve with his elbow injury.

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Chiefs protect 3 practice squad players for Week 6

The #Chiefs protected a trio of players on the practice squad on Wednesday, the most they’ve protected in a single week this season.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a trio of players on the practice squad ahead of their Week 6 game against the Washington Football Team.

QB Shane Buechele, DE Demone Harris and CB Dicaprio Bootle were all protected by the Chiefs on Wednesday per the NFL’s official personnel notice. Two players who were protected this week, Buechele and Harris, were also protected ahead of Week 5. Bootle was also among the players protected back in Week 4.

This is the most players protected by Kansas City in a single week so far this season. Teams are allowed to protect as many as four players on the practice squad each week. Players who are not protected can leave the team to sign to another team’s active roster. Those who are protected are not permitted to sign with other teams.

Harris was active last week for the Chiefs with Chris Jones sitting during the Week 5 tilt with the Buffalo Bills. He played just 10 defensive snaps and recorded no stats on the day. Jones was still out of practice with his wrist injury on Wednesday, so that’s not a good sign about his availability this week. Andy Reid did say Jones was making progress in his recovery from injury.

With Charvarius Ward also sitting out of practice with an injury on Wednesday, it makes sense that the Chiefs would protect Dicaprio Bootle. He was active and played most only special teams back in Week 4.

This is the second week in a row that Buechele has been protected on the practice squad. It would appear the front office in Kansas City has some concerns about teams with injuries at the QB position poaching Buechele from the practice squad.

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Chiefs protect 2 practice squad players for Week 5

For the second time this season, the #Chiefs have protected a pair of players on their practice squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a pair of players on the practice squad ahead of their Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills.

Kansas City protected QB Shane Buechele and DE Demone Harris according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Tuesday. This marks the second time that the Chiefs have used practice squad protections this season.

Teams are permitted to protect as many as four players on the practice squad each week per NFL rules. Players who are not protected can leave the team to sign to another team’s active roster. Those who are protected are not permitted to sign with other teams.

Harris is going on his second consecutive week of being protected by Kansas City. The Chiefs are still dealing with some injury issues at the defensive end position. Joshua Kaindoh’s ankle injury saw him placed on injured reserve on Tuesday. Chris Jones is still dealing with a nagging wrist injury and then there’s the hamstring injury that has kept Frank Clark out the past two weeks.

It’s best to have a player protected in the event the Chiefs need to elevate someone for Sunday night. Harris has been with the Chiefs since 2019 and knows the system well, so he should be able to jump right in and contribute should he be needed.

The other practice squad protection is a bit surprising for Kansas City. The team opted to protect Buechele, with no other moves made at the quarterback position. This could suggest that a team was sniffing around the Chiefs’ undrafted rookie quarterback looking to poach him off of the practice squad in Kansas City. It could also suggest that something hasn’t yet been revealed by the team. It’s possible that a quarterback is dealing with an injury or sickness and the team wants to be prepared should their condition worsen.

We’ll keep you posted on any developments in that regard.

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Chiefs protect 2 practice squad players for Week 4

For the first time this season, the #Chiefs have protected a pair of players on their practice squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a pair of players on the practice squad ahead of their Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kansas City protected CB Dicaprio Bootle and DE Demone Harris according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Wednesday. This marks the first time that the Chiefs have used practice squad protections this season.

Teams are permitted to protect up to four players on the practice squad each week per NFL rules. Unprotected players are free to leave the team to sign to another team’s active roster. Those who are protected are not permitted to sign with other teams.

If the 2020 season is any indication, the Chiefs tend to protect the players that they’re considering elevating for their upcoming game. That would make a lot of sense this time around given the injuries that Kansas City is currently dealing with.

CB Rashad Fenton, who is the team’s backup nickel corner, is in the NFL’s concussion protocol and didn’t practice on Wednesday. During training camp and the preseason, Bootle played the nickel with the second- and third-string defense at times. Charvarius Ward also missed Week 3 with a quadriceps injury and it’s unclear what his status will be for the upcoming game.

The defensive end position is also dealing with some injuries. DE Frank Clark is dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s game against the Chargers. DE Chris Jones was limited in practice last week with a wrist injury. It’d make sense for Demone Harris to be the player called up in either’s absence. He’s been with the Chiefs since 2019 and knows the system well.

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NCAA Board of Directors adopts student-athlete protections due to coronavirus

The NCAA announced a series of protections for its student-athletes as well as a plan to host scaled back fall championships in the spring. 

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors announced on Friday a series of protections for its student-athlete participants as well as a plan to host scaled back fall championships in the spring in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In regards to the latter, acting board chair Denise Trauth, president of Texas State, offered the following in an official statement on Twitter.

“We want to provide opportunities for student-athletes wherever possible. We understand it will be complicated and different, and we’re not certain how it will look, but we believe it’s important to try to give students that championship experience.”

Under the “Eligibility” section, the NCAA statement provided this insight.

All fall sport student-athletes will receive both an additional year of eligibility and an additional year in which to complete it.

Student-athletes who do not enroll full-time during the 2020 fall term have flexibility in the progress-towards-degree requirements that must be met for eligibility in future terms.

Included in the official press release are the Council-recommended protections for college athletes, which are provided in the bullet points below.

  • Schools are prohibited from requiring student-athletes to waive legal rights regarding COVID-19 as a condition of athletics participation.
  • Schools are prohibited from canceling or reducing athletics scholarships if a college athlete in any sport opts not to participate due to COVID-19.
  • Student-athletes who do not enroll full time during the 2020 fall term have flexibility in the progress-toward-degree requirements that must be met for eligibility in future terms.
  • The financial aid of fall sport senior student-athletes who take advantage of the additional year of eligibility and extended clock will not count against team limits in 2021-22.
  • Schools are required to:
    • Review current insurance coverage for all student-athletes who are competing this fall.
    • Inform student-athletes about the risk classification of their sport as outlined in the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport document.
    • Inform student-athletes how the mandates in the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport document are being met at their campus.

The announced changes are effective immediately.

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