KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs general manager Brett Veach predicted a quiet waiver wire period for Kansas City, and true to his word the Chiefs maintained the status quo with their 53-man roster after Sunday’s claiming deadline passed.
The Miami Dolphins claimed linebacker Justin March-Lillard on waivers. He is the only player waived by the Chiefs Saturday to land with a new team.
The Chiefs held the 27th position on the waiver wire. The means 26 other teams must pass before the Chiefs have a crack at a player on waivers.
That ranking on the waiver wire helped spur trades last week for linebacker Reggie Ragland and offensive tackle Cameron Erving.
“I think when you have an opportunity to make moves, it does work in conjunction with where you are on the waiver wire,” Veach said.
The Chiefs did not believe Ragland or Erving would fall to 27th on the waiver wires if their teams did indeed place them on waivers.
“It absolutely does play a role trying to predict who you want and can you get them,” Veach said. “You need to be proactive and if you really want to make changes you feel are upgrades, then you have to really look at your options and weigh them out and then at the end of the day make decisions that are best for the team.”
Veach said Mike linebackers and swing tackles such as Ragland and Erving prove elusive commodities on the waiver wire.
“But for the most part trying to find a swing depth level offensive lineman is very, very difficult, especially when you’re your picking 27,” Veach said. “And the same thing with a Mike who you feel can be starting linebacker at some point.”
The quiet waiver period does not mean current 53-man roster is locked for Thursday’s season opener against New England. Veach said he remains on the lookout for a third running back.
“I can’t tell you exactly what we’re going to do, but the odds are likely we’ll have three running backs,” Veach said.
The Chiefs also immediately began assembling their 10-player practice squad following the closing of waivers. Wide receiver Marcus Kemp is among players the Chiefs added to the practice squad Sunday afternoon, a source tells ChiefsDigest.com.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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