Meet the 4 players signed by the Kansas City Chiefs to reserve/futures contracts
Josh Augusta, defensive lineman
Local college football fans will likely recognize the name Josh Augusta from his days with the Missouri Tigers. They also might remember his tremendous size. At 6’4, 300 pounds, he certainly looks the part of a pro football lineman, a mountain of a man in the middle and an area where the Chiefs could use some potential rotational help next season from an emerging player on the roster.
The biggest hill for Augusta to climb will be proving he can more valuable as a pro than in college. That’s certainly the case for several players in the NFL, many of whom were not used correctly or dealt with coaches and coordinators who rotated or over-recruited. It’s impossible to tell if Augusta was mis-used, so to speak, at Mizzou, but it’s notable that he never cemented his place as a starter for the Tigers. He did start from time to time, including his entire junior season, but as a senior he once again became a rotational piece.
Again, that’s not to say that he’s not valuable and that he cannot play the same role for the Chiefs, but if a player can’t dominate in college then he’s going to have a harder time in the pros. Augusta has the size, however, and the strength to play the obvious run-stuffing role if he can develop his technique and instincts. Augusta caught on after the draft with the New England Patriots and began losing weight there. Perhaps further loss is needed for him to gain the requisite agility to play at the pro level.
Potential fit: The Chiefs have a couple defensive linemen set to become free agents after the season is over, including key run stuffer Bennie Logan. Augusta is not a direct fit for Logan, of course, who is a much, much better player in every conceivable way over Augusta. That said, both Logan and Jarvis Jenkins are free agents as is newly signed DL Stefan Charles, which means the Chiefs should stock up on options this offseason. Augusta will be given every chance to show what he can do at Arrowhead as the team decides the right way forward.