Chiefs Sign 3 Players, Waive 2 As Depth is Needed

The Kansas City Chiefs made a series of roster moves Friday morning.

Chiefs Digest beat reporter Matt Derrick relayed the “full list of Chiefs transactions” on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The team signed CB Ajani Carter, CB Azizi Hearn and WR Key'Shawn Smith. They waived injured: CB Darius Rush and CB Eric Scott.

When a player is waived injured, the team must reach an injury settlement with the player and then waive him. The Chiefs reached injury settlements with Rush and Scott.

Rush and Scott were both banged up at training camp, and the Chiefs needed more healthy bodies on the field. Of the three newcomers, Hearn spent the 2023 preseason with the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders.

Of this week's roster moves, which included backup UDFA punter Eddie Czaplicki being cut, KC Star reporter Jesse Newell clarified an “inaccurate” signing report from a couple of days ago.

“Also, the previous Twitter report of former Chiefs WR Kwamie Lassiter II signing with the Chiefs in recent days was inaccurate,” Newell said. Adding: “He’s not here today.”

Lassiter, like Carter and Hearn, was among Wednesday’s tryouts, and it was reported by multiple outlets that he was signing with the Chiefs. However, it seems the Chiefs chose not to sign Lassiter, signing Smith instead at a tryout later in the week.

The presence of the new signees is mainly to fill the voids created by nagging training camp injuries at CB and WR. This is also an opportunity for each of these players to make a strong enough showing for a practice squad role. These players will not necessarily be competing for jobs on the two-deep depth chart.

Hearn has the most NFL experience of the three. Carter and Smith were both playing college football last season. They entered the league as undrafted free agents.

Splitting his time between Miami and SMU, Smith accumulated 1,581 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns over five years of college. His best season came in 2024, when he posted 33 receptions for 527 yards and 5 touchdowns with SMU. Smith is a burner with good soft hands and runs routes very well. He would be a strong candidate for a practice squad spot.

Kansas City has a history with SMU wide receivers, like Rashee Rice, so it makes sense to take another Mustangs alum and give him a shot in the preseason.

Hearn bounced around college programs from 2017 through 2022, spending time at Arizona, Wyoming and UCLA. He started the most games for Wyoming,

As mentioned above, Hearn spent his first NFL training camp and preseason with the Raiders, and his second was with the New England Patriots. He has yet to appear in a regular season game, and he’s also received opportunities with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants' practice squads.

Carter is a UDFA out of Houston. He logged four interceptions over four seasons at Utah State from 2019 through 2022. He did not play for a team in 2023. He finished his collegiate career with the Cougars.

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