Aug. 18, 2015; St. Joseph, MO; Wide receiver Fred Williams (83) makes a play during training camp at Missouri Western State University. (Emily DeShazer/The Topeka Capital-Journal)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With the season officially over, the Chiefs have started to fill the offseason roster with players from the practice squad.
Wide receiver Fred Williams, offensive lineman Laurence Gibson, tight end Ross Travis and defensive lineman Jimmy Staten signed reserve/future deals with the Chiefs, sources familiar with the transactions informed ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Chiefs have not announced the signings.
Williams first joined the Chiefs practice squad late in the 2013 season. He also spent time on the practice squad in 2014 and 2015, and led the Chiefs in receiving during the 2015 preseason with 15 catches for 167 yards and three touchdowns in four exhibition games.
Gibson, who measures 6-6, 315 pounds, offers versatility to play tackle or guard, the latter a position the Chiefs occasionally worked him in practices during the season. He originally entered the league in 2015 as a seventh-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Chiefs practice squad.
The 6-7, 235-pound Travis, who played basketball at Penn State, is an intriguing developmental player. Travis began the 2015 season on the Chiefs practice squad before being waived on Sept. 14. The Chiefs re-signed him to the practice squad on Nov. 17.
The 6-3, 311-pound Staten originally entered the league in 2014 out of Middle Tennessee State as a fifth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks. He joined the Chiefs practice squad on Sept. 30, 2015.
Center/guard Mike Liedtke also signed a reserve/future contract, Liedtke’s agent, Brett Tessler, tweeted Sunday afternoon.
UPDATE: The Chiefs signed linebacker Tyrell Adams to a reserve/future contract, a source on Monday morning informed ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Adams originally entered the league in May 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of West Georgia with the Seattle Seahawks before signing with the Chiefs practice squad last season.
Kansas City previously signed wide receiver Kenny Cook, defensive end Dominique Davis, linebacker Cameron Gordon, defensive back Jordan Kovacs, fullback Trey Millard, defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu, defensive back Keith Lewis and defensive back Deveron Carr to reserve/future deals.
The Chiefs are allowed to sign free agents to a reserve/future contract as long as that player was not on the active roster when the season ended.
Teams sign players to reserve/future deals with a view to the upcoming season when the league’s calendar year begins, which for 2016 is March 9.
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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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