The Kansas City Chiefs have made a trio of roster moves on Saturday ahead of their Week 14 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, and all over those roster moves come in the defensive secondary.
After suffering a high ankle sprain against the Denver Broncos in Week 13, the Chiefs have placed special teams ace Chris Lammons on injured reserve. He’s required to miss three games before the team can designate him to return from injury, so the earliest he could return is the Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With Lammons set to miss the game, plus the questionable game statuses for both Rashad Fenton and L’Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs have called in some reinforcement from the practice squad.
We have activated Practice Squad players DB Dicaprio Bootle and DB Josh Jackson via Standard Elevation.
We have placed DB Chris Lammons on Injured Reserve. pic.twitter.com/GOBtg5iIeY
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 11, 2021
Both Dicaprio Bootle and Josh Jackson have been elevated to the 53-man roster via standard elevation. This is Bootle’s second time being called up this season. While he only played on special teams the last time he played, he could very well be the Chiefs’ starter at the nickel corner spot in Week 14. Jackson would be a likely candidate to fill in for Lammons on special teams and in case of an emergency on defense.
Sneed’s likely absence due to a family tragedy potentially leaves the team very thin at the slot position. Fenton would slide in when healthy, but he’s not guaranteed to play after being limited in practice each day this week. Mike Hughes is an option, but after taking over a bigger role on special teams in recent weeks, he could be limited to minimal snaps on defense. We could even see Tyrann Mathieu play some slot corner this week as a result of the absences.
Week 14 is gearing up to be a test for some of the young players in the Kansas City secondary. They’ve been a strength in recent weeks, but this type of attrition could put the team in a bind.
