Kansas City Chiefs bring back Daniel Sorensen on one-yer deal, close with Nick Keizer
The Chiefs took care of one of their own.
The team re-signed unrestricted free-agent safety Daniel Sorensen to a one-year, $2.46 million deal, fully guaranteed, a source familiar with the situation told The Star Tuesday.
Keeping Sorensen in the fold makes sense given what he means to the Chiefs’ defensive scheme.
A versatile defender capable of playing safety and performing a hybrid safety role, too, Sorensen started 10 straight games from Weeks 6-15 last season. He produced a team-high 91 tackles on 879 defensive snaps during the regular season, adding three interceptions, including a pick-six against the Denver Broncos in Week 7. He also defended on five passes.
Sorensen, who turned 31 on March 5, proved to be highly durable in 2020, too, playing 100 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps from Weeks 9-15 before resting in the season finale. The BYU product also remained a core special-teams contributor in 2020, recording 170 snaps.
Since joining the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2014, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Sorensen has appeared in 94 games with 32 starts.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid often affectionately refers to Sorensen as “Dirty Dan” — a nod to the safety’s willingness to perform other duties on the field outside of his natural position.
He is also known for making clutch plays. During the 2019-20 playoffs, his forced fumble on special teams energized a Chiefs comeback against the Houston Texans. He forced another fumble in the 2020-21 AFC Divisional Round against the Cleveland Browns.
Once the deal is finished, Sorensen will join offensive lineman Mike Remmers and defensive end Taco Charlton as unrestricted free agents from the past season’s roster who are returning to Kansas City.
And the Chiefs probably aren’t finished adding pieces to their roster for this fall. They currently have $21,672,746 in available salary cap space, according to figures provided by the NFL Players Association.
Tight end depth chart coming into focus
The top of the Chiefs’ tight-end depth chart has long been prominently known.
The rest of it is now coming into focus, too.
The Chiefs and Nick Keizer are finalizing a one-year contract, a The Star has learned. The Chiefs presented Keizer an initial contract offer last week to bring him back.
Keizer had six catches for 63 yards in 2020, playing 302 offensive snaps and 223 more on special teams.
Last week, the Chiefs added tight end Blake Bell back into the fold after he spent the 2020 season in Dallas.
The Chiefs’ tight end room is now set to feature starter Travis Kelce, along with Keizer and Bell, who have served as the primary backup in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
The Chiefs previously elected not to tender Deon Yelder, and Ricky Seals-Jones, a free agent, is unlikely to return.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 5:02 PM.
