Chiefs make flurry of moves, re-sign an old face and send two to injured-reserve list
The Chiefs are down two players in the aftermath of the 30-14 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While it was somewhat expected that offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif would go on injured reserve with a broken fibula, news that safety Armani Watts was joining him came as a surprise.
Both Watts and Duvernay-Tardif will be out for at least eight weeks. They can’t practice with the team, but they can be at team meetings and in the locker room. The Chiefs didn’t specify if either would be designated for return. Teams can bring a maximum of two players back from IR during the season, but they don’t have to determine which players those will be ahead of time.
The Chiefs also announced the addition of OLB Frank Zombo, who was released by the team after the preseason. He spent the last five seasons with Kansas City. And, the team announced practice-squad linebacker Robert McCray was officially designated as injured.
Watts, a rookie, left in the first half of Sunday’s win against the Jaguars with a groin injury and didn’t return. He first appeared on the injury report on the Thursday before the game with the groin injury, but he practiced fully every day.
With Watts out, the Chiefs’ safety position is missing three players, including Eric Berry and Daniel Sorensen. In Watts’ absence, Jordan Lucas, who had his first career interception on Sunday, figures to play a more prominent role. Lucas replaced Watts on Sunday after Watts replaced starting safety Eric Murray when Murray went out with an ankle sprain.
The safety position isn’t the only one that lacks depth. The Chiefs finished Sunday’s game without either starting outside linebacker, as Justin Houston exited with a hamstring strain and Dee Ford was disqualified for two personal fouls. That left Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kpassagnon as the only outside linebackers on the roster.
Bringing back Zombo gives the group necessary depth, especially considering the NFL Network’s report that Houston could miss multiple weeks with the hamstring injury.
“You want to bring in the best players you can,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “If they’ve been here, that’s just an addition from a familiarity standpoint, whether it’s with how we do things or the actual schemes.”
Zombo started nine games for KC last season and 11 the year before. He had 39 tackles each season and nine combined quarterback hits.
On the offensive line, Jordan Devey figures to get the first crack at replacing Duvernay-Tardif at right guard.
Brooke Pryor
Brooke Pryor covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
This story was originally published October 9, 2018 at 3:41 PM.