Kansas City Chiefs promote Leon McQuay from practice squad
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs have placed safety Steven Terrell on injured reserve and promoted Leon McQuay III to take his place on the active roster.
Head coach Andy Reid said the Kansas City Chiefs came out of the Oakland Raiders game with no injuries, but apparently he wasn’t thinking about safety Steven Terrell when he addressed the media.
One day after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders, the team placed Terrell, who played a major role in the win, on injured reserve. The Chiefs also called up Leon McQuay from the practice squad.
The Chiefs showed their hand a bit that something was up by bringing in former Seattle Seahawks safety Kelcie McCray for a free agent workout and visit on Monday.
Chiefs place S Steven Terrell on IR and elevate S Leon McQuay from the practice squad
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) December 11, 2017
Terrell had several big plays on Sunday, including the interception that sealed the win as the Raiders were driving in the fourth quarter with a bit of momentum.
Terrell’s replacement, at least for now, will be sixth round choice Leon McQuay III, a versatile defensive back taken from USC in the 2017 NFL Draft. McQuay has been stashed on the practice squad all season even as the Chiefs have needed some help at defensive back, but as a late round rookie, he’s likely needed the full year just to adjust to the speed and verbiage at the pro level.
Former general manager John Dorsey was high on his intelligence, athleticism and instincts at USC, and you can read more from Chiefs scout Troy Koziol here about McQuay.