Dee Ford‘s back injury has become serious enough the Chiefs placed the outside linebacker on IR.
The team announced the move and the signing of Eagles practice squad cog Justin Hamilton, a defensive tackle, to the 53-man roster.
Ford had missed the past four Chiefs games with the back ailment. He is signed through the 2018 season via fifth-year option. The Chiefs exercised Ford’s guaranteed-against-injury option of $8.72MM back in May. However, Ford did not have the kind of year he did when he broke out in 2016. He will finish his season with just two sacks and six games played. The 2014 first-round pick registered 10 last season, emerging after two years largely spent sitting behind Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.
Kansas City’s plan was to have Hali rotate in behind Houston and Ford this season, but Ford’s injury prevented this. No. 4 pass rusher Frank Zombo has been forced into extensive action.
The Chiefs have missed Ford’s presence during their losing streak, one that has them at 6-6 after a 5-0 start. Kansas City will already be without Marcus Peters in Week 14 due to a team-imposed suspension, and Hali missed last week’s game with a knee injury. However, he’s expected to play against the Raiders.
Hamilton played in three games for the Eagles this season, the UDFA’s rookie campaign. Hamilton has bounced around the league since entering in 2015 as a Bills UDFA. He’s also spent time with the Packers and Seahawks.