Kansas City Chiefs to work out wide receiver Eli Rogers
By Matt Conner
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Eli Rogers is set to work out Sunday with the Kansas City Chiefs, per Adam Schefter.
The Kansas City Chiefs are interested in checking out an intriguing free agent addition at wide receiver with the news from Adam Schefter of ESPN that Eli Rogers will be working out for the team on Sunday.
Rogers is a free agent receiver coming off of an late injury who showed promise with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s the official word from Schefter:
Former Steelers’ WR Eli Rogers, who tore his ACL in January during the postseason and has made a strong and quicker-than-expected comeback from his injury, is scheduled to work out Sunday for the KC Chiefs, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 21, 2018
Rogers is a smaller receiver (5’10, 180 pounds) who caught on with the Steelers after going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft. Rogers had remarkably steady stats as an option at Louisville for Lamar Jackson, ranging between 454 and 536 receiving yards and 41 to 46 catches per season over four years. A forgotten prospect, Rogers wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine and every team passed him over in the draft.
From there, Rogers latched on with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent and then spent his first season on injured reserve. However in 2016 he took Mike Tomlin and company by surprise by catching 48 passes for 594 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. A solid slot target, Rogers found the depth chart a bit more crowded with the addition of JuJu Smith-Schuster, and unfortunately he tore his ACL in January against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rogers declared himself completely healthy just six months later, a nice recovery time for the young receiver.
Rogers could be a nice addition for the Chiefs, but he’ll also find it crowded for playing time and certainly for targets. Chris Conley has a lot to prove as he comes back from injury for a contract year. Demarcus Robinson has flashed potential and has shown chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs new starting quarterback. Jehu Chesson is also on the roster as a former fourth rounder from last year. And, of course, we’re not bothering to mention starting options like Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill.
If Rogers looks the part, he could be an improvement upon some of the more unknown players on the roster, and Rogers has faced much longer odds before to even make the NFL. It will be interesting to see what comes of his visit on Sunday.