The Kansas City Chiefs front office has brought back a dozen practice squad players from the 2022 NFL season on reserve/future contracts.
If you’re unfamiliar with reserve/future contracts, these players won’t officially rejoin the team until the new league year begins in March. That’s when teams are permitted to expand roster size to 90 for the upcoming off-season. These are the players who will help fill out the off-season roster and compete for a role during the 2023 NFL off-season.
The practice squad players who are left unsigned are S Ugo Amadi, S Zayne Anderson, RB Melvin Gordon, TE Jordan Franks (injured), WR Marcus Kemp and DT Phil Hoskins. It’s possible all of those players could be re-signed at a later date.
Below you’ll find outlooks for each of the players signed to reserve/future deals:
TE Kendall Blanton
Back-to-back Super Bowl wins for this legacy player in Kansas City. Blanton’s father was a longtime member of the Chiefs and next year his son will have a chance to follow in his footsteps. We already know he’s a big fan of the hometown team.
“I went to Mizzou and all of that,” Blanton told Chiefs Wire. “If I got to stay home that’d be great. The Chiefs got one of the best fanbases in the league. That’d be fun.”
DB Dicaprio Bootle
Bootle has been a key reserve and special teamer since joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Entering his third season, he’ll have a chance to compete for a depth role on defense and a starting role on special teams.
TE Matt Bushman
Bushman had an incredible performance in preseason Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, leading the team in yards with 73 and touchdowns with two. Unfortunately, he suffered a fractured clavicle on his final reception and would miss a good chunk of the season with the injury. The team brought him back on the practice squad later this season and he’s certainly a player to watch for next season.
OG Mike Caliendo
With Nick Allegretti scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency, having an undrafted free agent guard that spent the entire season on the Chiefs’ practice squad isn’t a bad idea. He’ll be competing for a backup role next offseason.
LB Cole Christiansen
Christiansen spent the entire 2022 NFL season on the practice squad in Kansas City. Signing him to a reserve/future contract gives him a chance to go through training camp and the offseason program, potentially giving him a chance to make a greater impact.
WR/RB Jerrion Ealy
It sure felt like Ealy was the new C.J. Spiller in Kansas City this season, but next year he’s someone to keep an eye on, specifically for his ability as a return specialist.
QB Chris Oladokun
With Chad Henne retiring, Oladokun will compete with Shane Buechele for the backup quarterback job in Kansas City. Expect the team to add at least one more quarterback during the offseason to create some more competition.
RB La'Mical Perine
Perine is actually the newest member of the Chiefs’ practice squad, signing just ahead of the AFC title game. Drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft out of the University of Florida, Perine had 64 carries for 242 yards and two touchdowns in 2020.
WR Cornell Powell
Powell finished the season on the practice squad injured list, but he’s remained a key depth piece for the Chiefs since he was drafted in the late rounds of 2021. Will 2023 be his year to make the 53-man roster?
WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
A key special teamer and receiver down the stretch for Kansas City, Smith-Marsette will now get a chance to go through a full offseason with the team. If he develops chemistry with Patrick Mahomes and Shane Buechele, who knows what his future might hold?
DT Danny Shelton
A former first-round draft pick, Shelton didn’t get much of a chance to make an impact in 2022. With all the interior defensive linemen that Kansas City has set to hit free agency, expect that he might have a better chance come 2023.
C Austin Reiter
We already wrote up Reiter’s signing on Tuesday.
