KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs' battered secondary received reinforcement Sunday morning with the club reaching a deal with free agent cornerback Orlando Scandrick.
Washington released Scandrick last Tuesday and he visited with the Chiefs the following day. He fills the roster spot vacated by safety Robert Golden, who requested his release from the club on Wednesday.
Scandrick spent 10 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before signing with Washington in the offseason. He played in 11 games for the Cowboys last season, taking part in 58.6 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He picked up 32 tackles with three passes broken.
His most productive season came in 2013 when he set career highs with 59 tackles, 13 passes defensed and two interceptions. He also picked up two sacks.
The acquisition of Scandrick comes at time when the Chiefs secondary continues sustaining injuries. Starting safety Daniel Sorensen expects to miss significant time into the regular season after surgery for a tibial plateau fracture. Eric Berry remains sidelined with a sore heel. A third starter, cornerback Steven Nelson, exited Friday's preseason game at Atlanta with a concussion.
Cornerback David Amerson stepped into Nelson's role with the first-team defense in his absence with rookie corner Tremon Smith playing as a nickel back. Rookie corner Arrion Springs played some safety with the team dressing just four healthy safeties for Falcons. That includes Leon McQuay who just returned to practice last week from a hamstring injury.
The one-year pact with Scandrick includes incentives that could make the deal worth up $1.5 million. Scandrick signed a two-year deal with Washington in March worth up to $10 million including a $1 million signing bonus. The contract carried a cap hit of $2.6 million this season and $4.25 million in 2019. The pact also included roster bonuses of up to $500,000 this year and $1 million next season along with escalator clauses based on playing time.
The Chiefs had approximately $8.5 million in cap space before signing Scandrick, according to the NFLPA public salary cap report. That number includes the club's top 51 contracts. Including the full 53-man roster, practice squad and space for injured reserve players, the Chiefs have a projected cap space of just under $3 million for the 2018 season.
