The Kansas City Chiefs elevated defensive lineman Matt Dickerson from their practice squad ahead of their Week 1 kickoff against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
Star pass rusher Chris Jones’ decision to continue his holdout through the Chiefs’ first regular season game made Dickerson’s activation a necessity for Kansas City as the team prepares to face a hard-nosed Lions rushing attack.
Buy Chiefs TicketsWe have activated practice squad players TE Matt Bushman and DT Matt Dickerson via Standard Elevation. pic.twitter.com/kMNIEQj3XO
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 7, 2023
For his part, Dickerson will be seeing his first regular-season action as a Chief in the matchup, though he isn’t necessarily expected to play a crucial role. A UCLA product, Dickerson has been in the NFL since 2018 and has suited up for 24 total games in his career. He has never started a game.
Moves like this may become commonplace for Kansas City as the regular season wears on if the Chiefs’ negotiations with Chris Jones continue to stagnate. Veterans Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton will be called on to fill Jones’ role until the All-Pro lineman returns.