The Kansas City Chiefs have a whole lot of new faces on their 90-man offseason roster. Some of those players have been in the NFL for at least a season. They’re not rookies, but they’re new to the Chiefs nonetheless. Right now, a lot of them are flying under-the-radar, but they’ve made it this far into the offseason program without being released. Here’s a look at four players that have an opportunity to catch some attention during training camp.
OL Zack Golditch
Top competition: Ryan Hunter, Pace Murphy
Golditch is a player that has already overcome significant adversity to be here. He’s a survivor of the Aurora, Colorado shooting in 2012. He returned to play football after suffering a gunshot wound to his neck.
During the 2018 offseason, Golditch was with the Chargers. He competed with them during training camp and the preseason, but ultimately failed to make final roster cuts. He spent time on two different practice squads before being signed to the Cardinals’ active roster. He played during their Week 12 win against the Green Bay Packers.
With the Chiefs, Golditch has an opportunity to compete for a swing offensive line spot. He could play at tackle or either of the offensive guard positions. At 6-5 and 295 pounds, he’s a little lighter than the Chiefs typically like their offensive linemen.
Just a year ago the Chiefs added a similar player by the name of Andrew Wylie. He became the Chiefs’ Mack Lee Hill award winner for best first-year player in 2018. Could Golditch be on the fast track to similar success?
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DT Cavon Walker
Top competition: Justin Hamilton, Joey Ivie
In 2018, Walker joined the Bears as undrafted free agent. He didn’t make 53-man roster cuts in September, but did play in two preseason games for the Bears. He was productive during those games, recording 1.5 sacks, 5 total tackles, and a single pass defended.
Walker is an interesting player because he started out at Maryland as an off-ball linebacker. He gained so much good weight that they had to move him to the defensive line. That means he’s still fairly raw and has a lot of work to do, but there’s potential there.
If Walker flashes enough during training camp he could put players like Justin Hamilton or Joey Ivie out of a job. This new defensive staff is going to have a lot of say in the players the team keeps, especially when it comes to depth pieces.
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WR Rashard Davis
Top competition: Cody Thompson, Jamal Custis
Davis began his NFL career as undrafted free agent out of James Madison in 2017. He signed with the Eagles and spent a lot of time bouncing around their practice squad over the past two seasons. He also spent some time on the Raiders practice squad last season.
Versatility is the name of the game for Davis. He can play receiver, running back, punt returner, gunner and he even played quarterback in high school. Typically a player like this you’d give an edge on special teams, but with a lot of bodies competing at those punt and kick return spots, it’s hard to see that being a significant help.
What Davis currently has going for him is that he’s smaller, faster and more elusive than a lot of the guys he’s currently competing with for a roster spot. That could help Davis in his quest to make the active roster, but a more likely scenario is that he ends up on the practice squad.
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TE Nick Keizer
Top competition: Blake Bell, Neal Sterling
Keizer joined the Ravens following the 2018 NFL draft as an undrafted free agent out of Grand Valley State. He failed to make the Ravens 53-man roster to start the 2018 season, but spent the entire season on their practice squad.
The Chiefs have been hit with some depth struggles at the tight end position early. Injuries during OTAs and minicamp kept out the favorite for the No. 2 job in Deon Yelder, and the favorite for the No. 3 job in Blake Bell.
Keizer is a guy that the Chiefs signed that has been a pleasant surprise. Andy Reid has even noticed him.
“We just signed a new kid (Nick) Keizer and actually he’s doing a nice job,” Reid said.
That can’t hurt your chances, but he’ll have to make some positive strides during training camp and stand out over several others if he wants to make the team. In college, Keizer was a strong receiver, but it’ll be curious to see how he holds up as a blocker during the preseason.
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