Chiefs fill practice squad, Cardinals injury update | KCSN Daily 9.1
The latest Chiefs news, transactions, presser quotes and more.
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September has finally arrived, which means the Chiefs’ first regular season game is just around the corner. The team is already deep into game preparations for the Week 1 tilt with the Cardinals. The latest out of Arizona doesn’t bode well for their offense in the first game of the season.
They’ll already be without WR DeAndre Hopkins due to a six-game suspension, but they also might be without TE Zach Ertz and WR Rondale Moore. Ertz is dealing with a nagging calf injury and Moore is dealing with an undisclosed issue.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said “it will be close” in regards to both players suiting up for Week 1. WR A.J. Green, WR Marquise Brown and rookie TE Trey McBride will be relied upon heavily by QB Kyler Murray if Ertz and Moore were unable to play.
Transactions:
8/31 - Signed to practice squad - TE Kendall Blanton, LB Cole Christiansen
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s Tucker Franklin gives his four best prop bets for the Chiefs’ regular season on the opening day of sports gambling in Kansas.
Meet Chiefs’ new faces on the practice squad:
13 of the 16 players that K.C. signed to the practice squad were members of the team’s offseason roster. Only three of the players added came from outside of the team.
QB Chris Oladokun:
The Chiefs hosted Oladokun on a top-30 visit back in April and he might have ended up in Kansas City had the Pittsburgh Steelers not selected him at pick No. 241 in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft. Oladokun started his college career in South Florida, transferred to Samford and transferred again as a graduate to South Dakota State. The 6-2 and 195-pound dual-threat passer was dynamic in his final college season, putting up quite the performance. He led the Jackrabbits to an 11-4 record, throwing for 3,164 yards, 25 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He added 73 carries for 166 yards and two rushing touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes on trick plays as well.
TE Kendall Blanton:
Blanton is a player the Chiefs are quite familiar with and vice versa. His father, Jerry Blanton, played linebacker for the Chiefs from 1979 through 1985. The team has been keeping tabs on Kendall since his days at Blue Springs South and then during his collegiate career at the University of Missouri.
Blanton started in Super Bowl LVI in place of injured Rams TE Tyler Higbee. He caught seven passes on seven targets for 75 yards and a touchdown during the course of the 2021 postseason. He also has experience as a run-blocker, pass-blocker and special teamer.
LB Cole Christiansen:
Christiansen played collegiately for the Army Black Knights. Upon declaring for the 2020 NFL draft, Christiansen was awarded a waiver on his military service, allowing him to forego active duty until his playing career has concluded. Christiansen went undrafted and caught on with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he’s been a member of the practice squad for the past two years. At 6-2 and 225 pounds, Christiansen projects as a WILL linebacker in Kansas City. He also has multi-phase special teams experience during his time in Los Angeles.
Quick Hits:
From Kansas: Sports wagering officially became legal in the state of Kansas on Thursday. If you’re looking to place a bet, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook and use the code KCSN in order to receive $200.00 in free bets when you place a $5.00 bet on anything.
From Josh Gordon: The former Chiefs wide receiver wasn’t out of a job for long. On Thursday morning his agent announced that he’d be signing to the Titans’ practice squad.
From the HBCU Legacy Bowl: The HBCU All-Star game (sponsored by Patrick Mahomes’ 15 and the Mahomies foundation) is partnering with the NFL to bring the HBCU Combine to the event. This will allow more college players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) an opportunity to showcase their talent in front of NFL decision-makers.
Quotable:
“Yeah, we went back and forth. A couple – I think sometimes there is that game within the game, so knowing how waiver wires work and knowing the trends of claims and knowing where we’ve been exposed over the years. I think like defensive end is one position that it seems like for some reason we always accumulate injuries at the position and we’re always a little short at the defensive end position. We have a couple older, veteran guys at that position as well and we thought that there would be a good chance to go heavier on that and have the opportunity to come back and have these guys like Daurice (Fountain) ready to go and put him on the practice squad. So, it’s never easy. You kind of go back and forth, trying to work the system to get all these players. We had a lot of good guys that we cut who we thought were 53-man-roster-caliber players. A little bit of it is calculating how the league works as a whole and we’re able to make these roster decisions. And then, as you mentioned Sam (McDowell), sign some of these guys back to the practice squad. And as I mentioned, Daurice was one of them – we had a good conversation – it’s just a matter of time before we’re going to need him, and he’ll be on the team at some point – it’s such a long season. I think it worked out in that regard.” - Chiefs GM Brett Veach on the decision to keep five receivers
“It would be our preference to be live in Missouri right now. We’ve worked really hard. We have worked in cooperation with the Royals, with St. Louis’ soccer club, with the Blues, I’ve mentioned before (St. Louis Cardinals President) Bill DeWitt from the Cardinals and his leadership has been really, really great. (Kansas City Royals Chairman & CEO) John Sherman, myself, Bill DeWitt were on a call with the people who were making the decision late in the process and we felt like we were very close to getting it approved. And then some things got in the way that weren’t related to us and it wasn’t (approved). I can’t really say what’s going to happen. I can say that it would be beneficial for our fans. We know from the information it’ll be beneficial for the state. And we just got to get through the process in Missouri. There are a lot of people in Jefferson City working on our behalf, doing a great job there. We just got to get through the process. I will share that if you look at what’s happened over the last four, five years, typically, in situations which we’re in, where a state like Missouri gets surrounded by states that are legal – and we’re not completely surrounded, Missouri, but we’re close now with Kansas – it tends to accelerate the ball a little bit. And they start to see real traction in those states and what it does for those states. So hopefully this evidence will further our discussions and further the evidence (that) it’s something we should do in Missouri. And we are going to continue our efforts to make sure it happens.” - Chiefs president Mark Donovan on sports wagering being legal in Kansas but not Missouri
Important dates ahead:
Sunday, Sept. 11 - Week 1: Chiefs @ Cardinals - State Farm Stadium - Glendale, Arizona
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