Chiefs To Work Out TE Jake Ballard
Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs will be working out a handful of players on Tuesday, including former New York Giants TE, Jake Ballard.
From Jason La Canfora, via Twitter:
Jake Ballard among those working out for the Chiefs on Tues. Could be a nice fit there
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 21, 2013
This make sense. Despite the fact that the Chiefs just got Anthony Fasano back and have uncovered Sean McGrath, the team still had to place rookie Travis Kelce on IR so the TE position is perhaps not as deep as they would like.
Just because the Chiefs are working Ballard out, it doesn’t mean they will sign him right away. The players have an off day on Tuesdays and so NFL teams often work out players on that day. That way, in case the team experiences some injuries at certain positions later in the season, they have an idea of what kind of shape the veterans free agents are in.
That said, GM John Dorsey has shown he isn’t afraid to turn over the bottom of the roster so if he likes what he sees from Ballard, he well could cut a player to make room for him. Chances are, that player would be third-string TE Kevin Brock.
Ballard played his college ball at Ohio State and signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played with the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI but tore his ACL during the game. The Giants put Ballard on IR after the season but NFL rules demanded he pass through waivers and he was claimed by the New England Patriots. After spending 2012 on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, Ballard was cut by the Patriots on August 30th of 2013.