Chiefs place Darrel Williams on IR, add a defensive back from practice squad

There’s a reason running back Spencer Ware returned to the Chiefs earlier this week, and it became clear Thursday in a series of roster moves.

Running back Darrel Williams was placed on injured reserve, defensive back Alex Brown was added to the Chiefs’ 53-man roster from the practice squad and recently waived wide receiver Gehrig Dieter was signed to the practice squad.

Williams’ hamstring was injured Sunday on a non-contact play during the Chiefs’ 40-9 victory over the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

Williams’ season is over with the IR designation. He had rushed for 141 yards on 41 carries with three touchdowns this fall.

Fellow Chiefs running back Damien Williams didn’t practice Wednesday as he recovers from injured ribs. The Chiefs have three healthy running backs for Sunday’s game at New England: LeSean McCoy, rookie Darwin Thompson and Ware.

“One of the reasons that you bring (Ware) back is just the production from when he was here before,” coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “He knows the offense. He doesn’t have to go through that whole thing. It looks like he is in pretty good shape. He hasn’t played football, but he’s in pretty good shape.

“It’s important that he practices hard and does all of that. Then, we’ll see. We’ll see at the end of the week how it fits in. He’s not going to be your starter and go out and play every down, that’s not what he’s doing, but we’ll see. We’ll see how it all works out.”

Brown, a rookie out of South Carolina State, was signed after being cut by the Jets. The Chiefs are his fourth team this year.

After going undrafted, Brown signed with the 49ers in May but was waived in July and signed with the Eagles. A week later, Philadelphia waived Brown and he signed with the Jets. When New York was cutting its roster to 53-players, it parted ways with Brown, who was signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad on Sept. 2.

Brown has already helped the Chiefs, as he played the part of Lamar Jackson on the scout team before a 33-28 win over Jackson’s Ravens.

Dieter was waived by the Chiefs Tuesday. He has appeared in two games this season without a catch.

This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 8:54 AM.