Waiver Wire Wonderland: Names for Chiefs' Fans to Monitor
Five recently released players that could make an impact on the Chiefs newly announced 53 man roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs whittled their roster down to just 53 players on Tuesday afternoon setting the stage for the core of their 2022 team. The biggest surprise was probably Elijah Lee being waived, however he is reportedly going to re-sign after Blake Bell is placed on the Injured Reserve. The Chiefs’ front office finalized their roster and was able to do so without blindsiding the fan base much at all.
The next step for the Chiefs is going to be determining if any team around league released a player they have interest in. Hundreds of players just became either free agents - if they had accrued over 4 seasons in the NFL - or available through waivers. The Chiefs front office work doesn’t get a break yet as they now have to sift through all these players and determine if any of these players made available would provide some kind of upgrade to their 53 man roster.
The Chiefs appear to be in a position in which they are happy with their roster - using spots on the 53 for soon to be IR’d players and keeping excess quarterbacks are signs of that - so the odds of a significant free agent signing or waiver claim seem low. Still there are players out there that could potentially improve the Chiefs roster and that’s who we are settling in to talk about today.
Five Players From the Waiver Wire
1) Alex Leatherwood | OT
Las Vegas Raiders
Leatherwood has been a player under a ton of scrutiny since the Raiders drafted him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His play didn’t live up to the draft slot as a rookie and the team even flirted around with moving him to guard and back to tackle and back to guard over the past two seasons.
Finally they decided it simply wasn’t going to work and started seeking out a trade partner. According to Ian Rapoport the Raiders shopped him to ever team and received back “No” from every single one. It was pretty obvious he was on his way out in Las Vegas so teams weren’t incentivized to trade for him so now he hits waivers. This means if a team claims him, they will be on the hook for the remainder of his Rookie contract - that of a late first round pick.
For that reason, a lot of teams may hesitate to put in a waiver claim for him and wait to see if he clears it. Once he hits free agency, his contract situation becomes negotiable but the Chiefs are in a cap situation that they could afford to take on the contract as it stands. With the Chiefs having an unsettled RT position on the roster, it’s a move that certainly could be worth throwing a little money as well.
Despite rookie year troubles the talent is evident with Leatherwood and the issues could stem simply from a coaching staff not connecting to a player. Andy Heck has had success working with similar types of players that think very meticulously and always want to know “why”. Add on his success coaching up athletes that need to better understand leverage and balance and the match sounds very enticing. The icing on the cake comes with Andy Reid who always likes offensive linemen that have played multiple positions and Leatherwood has experience at OT and OG.
Alternate Option: Wyatt Davis | OG | MINN
2) Devin Asiasi | TE
New England Patriots
If there was one position that I felt the Chiefs were absolutely going to address before the season starts it would be tight end. Blake Bell has been confirmed to be heading to the Injured Reserve and that leaves the Chiefs without an in-line/blocking tight end option to pair with Travis Kelce, Jody Fortson, or Noah Gray. The heavy personnel attack that took the NFL Media world by storm after the first pre-season game went by the wayside.
The Chiefs can continue to run multiple TE sets without Bell but defenses won’t treat it the same way. Without the threat of a “plus” blocker lining up next to the offensive line, it reduces the need for defenses to respond with base coverage. It essentially just lessens the Chiefs athletic profile on the field if they can’t take advantage of nickel defenses.
This could be the reason why the Chiefs put in a waiver claim for Kendall Blanton who was claimed by the Washington Commanders - and now released again. There are a handful of tight ends available that could fill that role but Devin Asiasi is first up on the list due to the Chiefs showing prior interest when coming out of UCLA two years ago.
Standing at 6’3”, 257lbs he has the stature to make it as a traditional Y-TE and had plenty of success as such at UCLA. He struggled to find his footing early on with the Patriots but received praise from Bill Belichick for “starting to put it together” this off-season. Asiasi isn’t the most agile TE on the field but provides a big body, with quality blocking potential, and the ability to run the seams making catches in traffic with his size and soft hands.
Alternate Option: Kendall Blanton | TE | WSH
3) Tyler Johnson | WR
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tyler Johnson finds himself in a strange spot in the NFL. College football fans and draftniks will certainly remember him and speak of him fondly while the average man may have no clue who he is. His NFL career has followed the same trajectory as his great college career but there are still enough flashes to entice a lot of people around the NFL.
Unfortunately for Johnson he found himself on one of the more stacked wide receiver rosters in the NFL and is now going to be looking for a new team. Purely as a wide receiver it would be hard to say he isn’t worth adding with his ex-teammate Justin Watson for the Chiefs. The receiving ability would improve immensely for the Chiefs, even compared to bringing back the recently waived Daurice Fountain or Corey Coleman. He would be another young receiver that could help usher in a new era for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense.
The hold-up - there’s always a hold-up - comes in his special teams ability. If the Chiefs were to bring on a sixth WR, they would certainly expect him to play Special Teams and do it very well. That hasn’t been a major part of Johnson’s game so far in the NFL and if he isn’t ready to make that commitment, the fit between the two sides may simply not be there.
Alternate Option: Dazz Newsome | WR | CHI
4) Quincy Roche | EDGE
New York Giants
Quincy Roche is a second year pass rusher that played with the Giants last year flashing a little bit of the technical skill that made him an enticing prospect come draft time. He’s a bit undersized for the Chiefs preferences - missing all of Steve Spagnuolo’s traditional thresholds - but he’s proven he can play around those hurdles.
The Chiefs currently have six defensive ends on their roster so adding a seventh seems far fetched but that doesn’t mean they won’t be keeping an eye out for possible improvements. Joshua Kaindoh and Malik Herring are the final two DEs on the roster and while they certainly fit the physical profile the Chiefs chase better, the flashes on the field don’t match Roche.
Roche would certainly just be a situational pass rusher if he came to the Chiefs but his ability to bring a true speed rush off the edge is something they don’t have in their back-ups or even starters. It would be a very specific role but one that could cover a gap the Chiefs’ have struggled to fill since Dee Ford left.
Alternate Option: Williams Bradley-King | DE | WSH
5) McTelvin Agim | IDL
Denver Broncos
The Chiefs opted to keep six defensive ends and only four defensive tackles on their initial 53 man roster. It’s a bit surprising given the shared skillset of all the defensive tackles outside of Derrick Nnadi and could be a position they look into adding depth before the season even starts. The clubhouse leader for that spot should still be Danny Shelton even after his departure but another candidate could be from a division rival in McTelvin Agim.
Agim has consistently gotten praise from his offensive line teammates for being difficult to block and one of the more impressive players on the roster. The issue has been a lack of consistency over the years. Combine that with a questionable fit in a Vic Fangio style defense that asks for more reactive play from the defensive line and Agim presents as a relatively high upside player for a new team
He’s not the same level of staunch run defender that Shelton would be, but Agim has quality size and strength to play the run in a Spagnuolo system. He still excels in a single gap system but he’s more adapt of squatting in that gap and holding his ground than either Tershawn Wharton or Khalen Saunders. Signing a “new” defensive tackle would be a relatively big surprise but Agim is the type of upside player that simply may be worth bypassing someone more in tune with the Chiefs’ system if they opt to add DT depth.
Alternate Option: Carlos Watkins | HOU
You can make a lifetime of difference for a child or teen.
Boys & Girls Clubs is looking for dedicated men and women to invest in the lives of youth through coaching. Did you know by participating in sports, children learn the value of teamwork, responsibility, good sportsmanship, and self-esteem? By becoming a volunteer coach, you are helping to power the dreams—and successful futures—of Kansas City’s kids! The Clubs are currently seeking baseball coaches. Click here to sign up today! All equipment will be provided. No prior coaching experience is needed.