ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Chiefs placed Jody Fortson on injured reserve Tuesday, another frustrating setback for the fan-favorite tight end who joined the club as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
“Jody’s having his shoulder done,” head coach Andy Reid said. Fortson suffered a shoulder dislocation on July 28 and has been out of action since.
The Chiefs also waived cornerback Anthony Witherstone with an injury designation. He suffered a great toe sprain in Sunday’s game against New Orleans. If he clears waivers he will return to the squad on injured reserve.
The transactions cleared space on the 90-player roster for two free-agent additions, linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi and cornerback Duron Lowe.
Fortson’s injury leaves the Chiefs with six tight ends on the 90-player roster. The club signed Izaiah Gathings July 30 to fill in for Fortson. Also on the roster are Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Blake Bell, Matt Bushman, and Kendall Blanton.
Kelce and Gray are locks for the 53-player roster, and the loss of Fortson certainly boosts the chances of Bell landing a roster spot. If the Chiefs keep a fourth tight end opening the season, the decision now likely comes down to Bushman and Blanton.
Fortson attended the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp in 2019 on a tryout basis and parlayed the opportunity into a spot on the 90-player roster. He’s spent most of the past four seasons with the Chiefs on the active roster, practice squad and injured reserve. He’s played 19 regular-season games for the Chiefs with 18 catches for 155 yards and four touchdowns.
He entered the 2023 season off his strong campaign yet last year, playing in 13 games with nine catches for 108 yards and two scores.
When a player lands on injured reserve during training camp, there are limited options for returning to the club later in the season. Anyone placed on injured reserve before the cutdown to 53 players on Aug. 29 cannot be designated to return and normally cannot return to the club during the regular season.
The Chiefs, however, could reach an injury settlement with Fortson and place him on waivers, at which point any NFL team could claim him. If Fortson clears waivers, he would become a free agent eligible to sign with any team other than Kansas City.
In that scenario, he could re-sign with the Chiefs when the injury settlement expires. That typically would happen when the player is healthy enough to return to football activities.
