Kansas City Chiefs shake up bottom of 90-man roster with a trio of free agent signings after recent wave of training camp injuries
The Kansas City Chiefs have some new faces out at St. Joe for training camp after a recent rash of injuries hit their roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs have several new players out at training camp at St. Joseph, Missouri, on Friday morning, ahead of the ninth practice session at Missouri Western State University.
The Chiefs hosted seven players on tryouts over the past two days as the injury bug seemingly hit their roster during padded training camp practices. Jawaan Taylor (knee), Hollywood Brown (ankle), Xavier Worthy (concussion), Skyy Moore (hamstring), Jake Briningstool (hamstring), Jeffrey Bassa (ankle), Kristian Fulton (knee), Darius Rush (hamstring), Eric Scott (knee), and Deon Bush (hamstring) were among those missing from practice on Wednesday.
Most of those players returned to action on Friday, but Rush and Scott Jr. were both waived with an injury designation, according to Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick. That, along with Matt Araiza winning the punter battle over Eddie Czaplicki, led to three open roster spaces for Kansas City to fill.
Here’s a look at the three new faces on the 90-man roster for Kansas City.
WR Key’Shawn Smith (8)
There were some reports that the Chiefs had signed former Kansas WR Kwamie Lassiter, but it appears they pivoted to Key’Shawn Smith after a last-minute tryout on Friday. Familiarity seems to have won out as Smith formerly attended this year’s rookie minicamp in Kansas City on a tryout basis after entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of SMU. Despite a strong performance at rookie minicamp, the Chiefs didn’t act on this one until now. The 5-foot-11 and 187-pound receiver appeared in 28 games over two seasons with the Mustangs, recording 58 receptions for 919 yards and eight touchdowns.
CB Azizi Hearn (47)
A former 2023 undrafted free agent out of UCLA, Hearn has spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and New York Giants. He has yet to appear in an NFL game or record any official statistics, mostly spending time on practice squads. He’s listed at 6-foot, 206 pounds and ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at his 2023 pro day. He recorded 40 total tackles and seven passes defended with the Bruins in 2022.
CB Ajani Carter (46)
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Carter is a 2024 undrafted free agent out of Houston. He played 11 games with the Cougars in 2024, recording 22 total tackles, one tackle for loss, a half sack, and three passes defended. He spent four years prior in the Mountain West with Utah State, recording 108 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions, and six passes defended.
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