Here are the New Year’s Day practice squad decisions from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
Minor moves from around the league as we prepare for tomorrow’s season opener:
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
The Chiefs’ 53-man roster does not include Chris Jones, who continues to stage a rare 2020s holdout. Here is how the defending Super Bowl champions moved down to 53:
Seeking a contract in the Aaron Donald range, Jones has seen the Chiefs push for a deal more in line with the recently established second tier of the defensive tackle market. Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams all signed for between $22.5MM and $24MM per year, but Jones has been resolute as he stays away. The Chiefs are unable to waive the $50K-per-day fines Jones has incurred, separating this from Nick Bosa‘s holdout. On a rookie contract, Bosa’s fines can be waived. Jones has lost more than $1.5MM already but has hinted at a holdout extending into the regular season.
The Chiefs have parted ways with a number of defensive regulars in recent years, moving on from the likes of Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark. The team has prioritized Jones in the past, franchise-tagging him and reaching an extension in 2020. Jones, 28, will count on the Chiefs folding, as their pass rush will obviously take a hit without him. But as we move close to the regular season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the sides are not close on terms.
It still seems difficult to envision Jones missing out on game checks, but this process has already gone on far longer than expected. The Chiefs have, however, come out against trading the All-Pro D-tackle. Regarding another well-known Chief, Reiter is considered likely to end up on the team’s practice squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
As the Chiefs prepare for the start of their rookie minicamp this weekend, the team announced the signing of 15 undrafted rookies:
The Chiefs also added Nigerian offensive lineman Chukwuebuka Godrick via the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), edge rusher Truman Jones got $236K in guaranteed money from the Chiefs. The Harvard product led the Ivy League with 13 tackles for loss last season, although his best bet for making the Chiefs active roster may be on special teams. Jones had a standout 2022 season on ST, finishing with three blocked kicks.
Elsewhere on defense, Indiana’s Cam Jones got a $15K signing bonus and an $135K base salary guarantee from Kansas City, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The linebacker finished his college career with 208 tackles and seven sacks, and he was projected to be a late-round pick after leading the Big Ten in tackles per game (10.8) through the first five contests. However, a foot injury ended his season prematurely, and Jones ended up going undrafted as a result.
On the offensive side of the ball, running back Deneric Prince got $231K in guaranteed money, including a $15K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The Tulane standout averaged more than five yards per carry during his college career, including a 2022 campaign where he compiled a career-high 729 rushing yards. Prince turned heads at the combine when he was fourth at the position in the 40-yard dash and fifth in broad jump.