The Kansas City Chiefs have announced several roster moves ahead of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With an open roster spot following the release of Chris Lammons earlier this week, the Chiefs have activated TE Jody Fortson to the 53-man roster from the team’s injured reserve list. This was a move that Andy Reid had been foreshadowing all week and a welcomed return ahead of the AFC title game.
It wasn’t the only move the team made to add to their roster ahead of the big game on Sunday. The Chiefs also made a pair of practice squad elevations and two more practice squad transactions.
We activated TE Jody Fortson from Reserve/Injured.
We activated Practice Squad players WR Marcus Kemp and WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette via Standard Elevation.
We signed RB La’Mical Perine to the Practice Squad.
We terminated the Practice Squad contract of WR Jerrion Ealy. pic.twitter.com/elFMjcW6bM
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 28, 2023
The Chiefs elevated two receivers from the practice squad for the game. This doesn’t necessarily mean both players will be active as we learned last week. They elevated Marcus Kemp and Austin Reiter for the AFC divisional round and neither played. This time around Kemp and Ihmir Smith-Marsette got the call-up to the active roster. Kemp has a greater chance of playing this week given his experience on special teams in the role vacated by Lammons.
In terms of the moves made that won’t impact the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs have again released WR/RB Jerrion Ealy from the practice squad. He’s approaching C.J. Spiller levels of replaceability at this point.
In a corresponding move, the Chiefs added RB La’Mical Perine to the practice squad. Perine’s older cousin, Samaje Perine, plays for the Bengals. Chiefs fans will remember Samaje well from the Week 13 matchup where he had a big day against Kansas City. La’Mical was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft out of the University of Florida. He’s spent time in New York, Philly and most recently Miami.
