KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs added depth to their ailing cornerback group Wednesday by claiming Darius Rush off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts.
Rush, a 2023 fifth-round pick for the Colts from South Carolina, fits the Chiefs’ model for cornerbacks with a 6-foot-2, 198-pound frame and lengthy 33 3/8-inch arms. He was recruited as a receiver but wasn’t moved to cornerback full-time until 2021. During his last two years in college, he played in 23 games with 63 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions and 18 broken-up passes. His max speed of 21.65 miles per hour was the fastest for any player at this year’s Senior Bowl.
Rush’s relative athletic score of 9.81 on a scale of 10 was boosted not only by this size but his speed, posting a 4.36-second time in the 40-yard dash. His RAS scored ranked No. 43 out of 2,212 draft prospect cornerbacks since 1987.
In two preseason games with the Colts, Rush played 42 defensive snaps and four special teams snaps. His biggest play came in the team’s opener against Buffalo when Rush intercepted a Kyle Allen pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown.
In order to clear space on the 53-player roster for Rush, the Chiefs released defensive tackle Matt Dickerson.
The Chiefs also lost one player through the waiver process with the Cleveland Browns claiming cornerback Kahlef Hailassie. He initially signed with the Chiefs in May as an undrafted rookie free agent from Western Kentucky. Hailassie ranked tied for third on the club during the preseason with eight total tackles and also tied for the team lead with two passes defended. He also interception a pass against the New Orleans Saints that setup a touchdown drive for the Chiefs and picked up a tackle for a loss.
The deadline for waiver claims passed at 11 a.m. central time Wednesday, at which time the Chiefs and other teams were allowed to begin signing players to the their practice squad. Ten positions on the practice squad are reserved for players with no more than two years of accrued NFL service time while there is no restriction on the other six positions.
Normally teams must comply with that 16-player limit but one player the Chiefs signed is offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick. He’s part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program from Nigeria, and he spent training camp with the Chiefs. As an international player, Godrick comes with a roster exemption which means he doesn’t count toward the 16-player limit.
The full practice squad as know now includes:
- C/G Austin Reiter
- OT Chukwuebuka Godrick
- LB Cole Christiansen
- RB La’Mical Perine
- CB Reese Taylor
- S Deon Bush
- DT Danny Shelton
- WR Cornell Powell
- TE Matt Bushman
- RB Denric Prince
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe
- QB Chris Oladokun
- DE Truman Jones
- G/T Darian Kinnard
- DT Chris Williams
- DT Matt Dickerson
- WR Montrell Washington
- TE Gerrit Prince
The Chiefs officially announced the signing of the first 15 players on this list Wednesday evening. Dickerson’s name was included on the NFL transaction report released later Wednesday night. The announcement of Washington and Prince is expected once they have arrived in Kansas City and cleared their physicals. The Chiefs will need to make a move to include both players on the practice squad.
Injured Reserve
Starting Wednesday afternoon, teams can also place players on injured reserve with the option to designate them to return later in the season.
But three Chiefs players landed on injured reserve Wednesday morning. Wide receiver Nikko Remigio, linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi and offensive lineman Jerome Carvin were waived Tuesday with injury designations. All three players cleared waivers and reverted back to the Chiefs roster on injured reserved where they join cornerback Nazeeh Johnson and tight end Jody Fortson. Players who were placed on injured reserve prior to Wednesday afternoon cannot be designated to return during the regular season.
