The Kansas City Chiefs hosted several defensive players for tryouts on Tuesday. This comes following the decision to release RB/WR Jerrion Ealy from the practice squad.
Four of the players the team hosted are linebackers, which makes plenty of sense given the loss of veteran LB Elijah Lee, who was poached from the practice squad by the Chicago Bears last week. The other player that the team hosted is a veteran defensive tackle who got his NFL career started in Green Bay.
Below is a quick look at each of the players that the team had in for tryouts on Tuesday:
DT Mike Daniels
A former fourth-round draft pick in 2012, Daniels is the most veteran player of the bunch hosted for tryouts. The 33-year-old cut his teeth in the league with the Packers, playing seven seasons in Green Bay. He’s appeared in 124 career games with 86 starts, recording 257 total tackles, 30 sacks and an interception in that span. He spent the past two seasons in Cincinnati, on both the active roster and practice squad at times, but only appeared in two games in 2021. Daniels is a player that the Chiefs were previously interested in acquiring from the Packers.
LB Clarence Hicks
An undrafted free agent out of UTSA in 2022, the 6-2 and 225-pound Hicks was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals during 53-man roster cuts. He’s since had workouts with the New York Jets and New England Patriots, but so far hasn’t stuck with any team. As a senior at UTSA, Hicks recorded 37 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, one interception and two passes defended.
LB Justin Hilliard
A former undrafted free agent signing by the San Francisco 49ers out of the Ohio State University in 2021, Hilliard’s had a tumultuous start to his NFL career. He was waived during 53-man roster cuts in 2021 and claimed by the New York Giants. The 6-1 and 230-pound linebacker appeared in two games with the Giants before he was placed on injured reserve. He was suspended for the first two games of the 2022 regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances and was waived by New York during the offseason.
LB Khalan Tolson
Listed at 6-foot and 220 pounds, Tolson signed with the Carolina Panthers following the 2022 NFL draft as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Illinois. He would be released during the second wave of offseason roster cuts. During his career with the Fighting Illini, Tolson recorded 128 total tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, five passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
LB Barrington Wade
An undrafted free agent out of Iowa following the 2021 NFL draft, Wade has spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. He appeared in four games with the Broncos in 2021, recording one total tackle on special teams. The 6-foot-1 and 232-pound linebacker didn’t have a very productive college career with just 23 total tackles, one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions in 33 games played.
