KC Chiefs sign former Blue Springs, K-State linebacker Elijah Lee to one-year deal
The Chiefs have holes at the linebacker position, but they filled one Tuesday with a player familiar with the Kansas City area.
The Chiefs are signing Elijah Lee to a one-year deal, a source familiar with the situation told The Star.
Lee hinted at the signing by taking to Twitter to post “#ChiefsKingdom.”
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Lee starred at Blue Springs High School before choosing Kansas State, where he totaled 209 tackles, 11 sacks and five interceptions in three seasons. He elected to forego his senior season to enter the NFL and was a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Lee started the 2017 season on the Vikings’ practice squad before the San Francisco 49ers signed him to their active 53-player roster. He spent three seasons in San Francisco (2017-19), and then had stints with the Detroit Lions (2020) and Cleveland Browns (2020-21).
In his pro career, Lee has appeared in 66 regular-season NFL games with six starts, totaling 99 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles in a backup role.
While his playing time on defense was limited, there’s no doubt Lee made his mark as a key player on special teams. He has averaged more than 63% of his teams’ snaps over the past five seasons and notched a career-high 335 special teams snaps (85%) for the Browns in 2021.
Lee’s ability to contribute on special teams should help soften the blow if the Chiefs choose to not bring back linebackers Ben Niemann and Dorian O’Daniel, both of whom were core special teams contributors in recent seasons. Lee could also compete for a starting job in the Chiefs’ 4-3 defensive base alignment alongside Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton.
The Chiefs have now signed six unrestricted free agents during free agency: Lee, wide receiver JuJu Smith Schuster, safety Justin Reid, wide receiver Corey Coleman, offensive lineman Geron Christian and cornerback Luq Barcoo.
