The Kansas City Chiefs are getting a pair of players back from suspension, one player on the practice squad and one on the 53-man roster.
According to the NFL’s official personnel notice on Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell officially lifted the suspensions of Chiefs DE Frank Clark and RB Jerrion Ealy. Clark was suspended for two games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, stemming from two 2021 arrests. Ealy was suspended for six games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
#Chiefs DE Frank Clark and PS WR/RB Jerrion Ealy both had their suspension's lifted by the commissioner. Ealy immediately counts toward the #Chiefs' practice squad, bringing the total to 16. KC received a roster exemption for Clark, so they don't yet need a corresponding move.
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) November 14, 2022
Ealy will immediately count toward the team’s practice squad, bringing the player total up to 16. They had a free spot available after Matthew Wright was poached by the Steelers. The team clearly views Ealy as a good developmental prospect, staying by the undrafted free agent through this suspension.
As for Clark, the team received a roster exemption from the commissioner. Clark will not count against the 53-man roster limit, at least for the time being, giving the Chiefs some time to make a decision on a corresponding roster move. Expect a corresponding roster move and the activation of Clark to come later this week.
Clark had a breakout performance back in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers, recording 1.5 sacks in the win. He missed the past two games and the bye week, so he should be fresh for the final eight games of the regular season. That’s important given the stomach issues that have caused him to miss some practice time this season.