The Kansas City Chiefs will open preseason play on Saturday, traveling to Soldier Field in Chicago to play the Bears, with KC beginning game week with the release of veteran cornerback Deandre Baker.
Baker, a product of the University of Georgia, flamed out with the New York Giants after joining the NFL as the 30th overall pick of the 2019 Draft. In May 2020, Baker was charged in an armed robbery, and while charges were dropped, Baker was released by New York, and went on to sign with the Chiefs in November 2020. Despite appearances in 10 games with Kansas City over the past two seasons, the recent additions of draft picks Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, and Jaylen Watson, plus the trade to bring in Lonnie Johnson from the Texans, made Baker expendable in the long run.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Chiefs signed veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, citing Shelton’s agents, reporting it is a one-year contract. Shelton, a former Brown, Patriot, Lion, and Giant, chose Kansas City over interest from Las Vegas and Carolina.
Kansas City only has one player remaining on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, with cornerback Rashad Fenton returning to practice after recovery from a shoulder injury. Fenton played in 14 games last season, starting eight. He had 49 tackles and a forced fumble. Offensive lineman Lucas Niang is now the only player remaining on the Chiefs training camp PUP list.
General Manager Brett Veach added defensive end Matt Dickerson, with the waiving of defensive end Shilique Calhoun creating roster room for Dickerson.
Dickerson was cut by the Arizona Cardinals on July 29th, after not playing in the 2021 season. From 2018-2020, he was a member of the Tennessee Titans, with 15 tackles. Dickerson was an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2018. Calhoun spent last season on the Chiefs practice squad. He entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick of the Raiders.
