Former Chiefs DL Kendall Reyes signs with New York Jets

Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Kendall Reyes has landed a deal with the New York Jets, per Field Yates.

The New York Jets have added some depth and experience to their defensive line with the addition of veteran free agent Kendall Reyes, per ESPN’s Field Yates.

Earlier this offseason, Reyes earned a look from the Chicago Bears and head coach Matt Nagy, who was familiar with the defensive lineman from his days in Kansas City. Before that, Reyes had not played in the NFL since his stint with the Chiefs back in 2016, meaning the lineman spent all of last season waiting on the phone to ring and staying in shape enough in case there’s a need.

Reyes began his career in the AFC West as a former second round pick of the San Diego Chargers, and the former UConn product served out his rookie contract in Southern California. After four full seasons in San Diego, Reyes caught on with the Washington Redskins and then the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016. Surprisingly after that, he was unable to find any meaningful work, bringing his NFL career to a quick halt.

Reyes played in 10 games with the Chiefs in 2016 and had 15 tackles and 1 sack that year after signing in October. Before that, Reyes  had showed a nice interior push of the pocket during his early years with San Diego, as illustrated by his 10.5 sacks during his first two years in the NFL. Reyes had 13.5 sacks for the Chargers in 50 career starts.

Given the lack of experience in the last year, Reyes faces a serious uphill climb to make the Jets final roster, but the team also has a lot of new faces vying for meaningful roles on the roster, which means Reyes might stand a chance. The Jets released Shaneil Jenkins to make room for Reyes on the roster.