Chiefs sign tight end Orson Charles, safety Demariay Drew

The Chiefs signed a pair of free agents on Thursday, inking tight end Orson Charles and safety Damariay Drew to contracts.

To make room for them, the Chiefs released receiver Jamari Staples and safety Devin Chappell.

Chappell, who received an $8,000 signing bonus to sign as an undrafted free agent from Oregon State, was waived with an injury designation, which means he can rejoin the club if the clears waivers and be placed on injured reserve.

Charles, 26, is listed at 6 feet 3 and 247 pounds. A fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Georgia, he spent time with the Bengals, Saints and Lions before his release from Detroit in October.

In 31 NFL games (including six starts), he’s caught nine passes for 109 yards. With the Lions last season, he didn’t play any offensive snaps but he did log 31 on special teams.

Charles has been assigned No. 85, which had belonged to receiver Tony Stevens, another undrafted free agent. Stevens has since switched to No. 1.

Drew, 23, missed his entire senior season at Cal in 2016 due to a torn ACL. In 2015, Drew finished with 71 tackles, six passes defensed and two interceptions in 11 starts.

Despite the injury, Drew did not qualify for a sixth year of eligibility in 2017. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder ran a 4.60 40-yard dash at his pro day and vertical-jumped 35 inches, but went undrafted this year. He has been assigned No. 46, Chappell’s old number.

The Chiefs originally signed Staples, 22, as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville in early May.

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Chiefs sign tight end Orson Charles, safety Demariay Drew."