The Kansas City Chiefs made a barrage of roster moves ahead of their Week 15 tilt with the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The team made two decisions related to the 53-man roster, two practice squad elevations and they formally ruled out a wide receiver on Saturday. The major theme across the moves is that some veterans with Super Bowl experience are going to have a chance to play on Sunday.
First up, the Chiefs officially ruled out WR Justyn Ross. The team currently has a roster exemption on Ross following his suspension and he was not activated to the 53-man roster ahead of the game. That means he'll miss at least seven weeks as a result of his suspension. The team will also have to figure out how to make room for him on the roster down the line, but they'll cross that bridge when they get there.
On the 53-man roster, the Chiefs released LB Darius Harris. With Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill both healthy again, along with Cole Christiansen returning from injury on the practice squad, the writing was on the wall here.
In a corresponding move, Deon Bush was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. With Mike Edwards missing practice time and Bryan Cook on injured reserve, the team was dangerously thin at this position. Bush was on the 53-man roster last season and played in Super Bowl LVII. He's primarily been a special teamer during his two seasons in Kansas City, but the coaching staff has a lot of trust that he can play on defense in spots.
With Isiah Pacheco still out following his latest shoulder surgery the Chiefs used a standard elevation on RB Deneric Prince. This will be the third and final elevation for Prince, who still hasn't played any snaps despite being active in the past two games.
The team also used a standard elevation on Mike "The Beast" Pennel. This is the first time that Pennel has been elevated since rejoining the team in late October. Pennel appeared in both Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LV with the Chiefs and was considered a vital addition in the postseason performance en route to the victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
The Chiefs have typically kept their defensive line on the lighter side this season, but the elevation of Pennel suggests that Steve Spagnuolo views stopping the run as a key to victory against the Bailey Zappe-led Patriots in Week 15.
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