Chiefs Make Two Unexpected Signings During Playoff Bye Week

The No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs aren’t one of the several teams playing this weekend, but that isn’t stopping them from adding to their roster and practice squad. 

Earlier this week, the Chiefs announced that they re-signed wide receiver Montrell Washington to the practice squad and released linebacker Blake Lynch. Washington has spent the last two seasons with Kansas City. 

However, it appears as if that wasn’t the only move the back-to-back Super Bowl champs made this week. According to the NFL transaction wire, Kansas City signed linebacker Shaun Bradley and defensive back Jason Taylor to reserve/future deals on Thursday, per Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports.

Last weekend, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reported that the Chiefs worked out Bradley, who last played with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. 

The former Temple linebacker was most recently on the Houston Texans’ practice squad. The Texans signed Bradley on Oct. 3, but released him on Nov. 5. Bradley did not play football last season after suffering an Achilles injury in a preseason game. The Eagles placed the veteran linebacker on injured reserve.

As for the Chiefs, this is a low-risk, high-reward signing as Bradley played a notable role on the Eagles’ special teams for two seasons. Meanwhile, the former Temple defender will get a prime chance to prove himself in minicamp and training camp.

Finally, Taylor is a former seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams released the former 2023 draft pick in August ahead of the roster deadline and immediately signed him to the practice squad. 

However, Los Angeles released the former Oklahoma State defensive back on Sept. 10 but was picked up a week later by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals kept him on the practice squad for over a month before releasing him on Oct. 29.

The 25-year-old defensive back appeared in eight games as a rookie in 2023, playing 111 snaps on special teams. 

Taylor had an outstanding final season at Oklahoma State in 2022. He produced 99 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, six interceptions (career-high), and four tackles for loss.