KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs spent the first half of Friday evening adding depth to the defensive secondary with the signings of safeties Jimmy Wilson and Stevie Brown.
Dec. 22, 2013; Green Bay, WI; Packers outside linebacker Andy Mulumba (55) reacts after a play against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
The second half was spent strengthening the outside linebacker corps with the signing of Andy Mulumba, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
Mulumba’s agent, Tom Tafelski, confirmed Friday night in a telephone interview with The Topeka Capital-Journal and ChiefsDigest.com that Mulumba signed a one-year deal.
“He’s very excited to sign,” Tafelski said of Mulumba. “We feel it’s a perfect fit and he looks forward to getting to work, learning the scheme and playing at Arrowhead Stadium.”
The 6-3, 260-pound Mulumba entered the league in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan with the Packers.
He has appeared in 22 career games with three starts, totaling 36 tackles (18 solo), a sack and a fumble recovery. Mulumba suffered an ACL tear in September 2014 and finished that season on injured reserve.
The 26-year-old Mulumba, a native of Congo, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent when the NFL’s new calendar year opened on March 9. The Packers, however, didn’t extend a tender, which made Mulumba an unrestricted free agent.
Tafelski said Mulumba, who is a Canadian citizen, had to leave the U.S. because his client didn’t have work. But the signing with the Chiefs now allows Mulumba to stay.
The Chiefs, as Mulumba’s employer, will need to obtain or sponsor Mulumba’s work visa, Tafelski said. Once that is accomplished, Mulumba can work towards obtaining a green card with the view to become a U.S. citizen.
Meanwhile, Mulumba is happy to be with the Chiefs, but the greater Kansas City area offers another appeal virtually guaranteed to satisfy Mulumba’s taste buds.
“He loves barbecue,” Tafelski said of his client.
Mulumba joins an outside linebacker corps currently consisting of Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Dee Ford, Frank Zombo, Cameron Gordon and Jonathan Massaquoi.
The Chiefs also have developmental players in Tautvydas Kieras and Efe Obada, both of whom project as either outside linebackers or defensive ends.
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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