Kansas City Chiefs bring in tight end Clive Walford for visit
By Matt Conner
Free agent tight end Clive Walford visited the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday for a workout, per Ian Rapoport.
Kansas City Chiefs fans might recognize tight end Clive Walford from his days as a member of the Oakland Raiders, the team’s rival in the AFC West. On Monday, Walford explored what it might be like to be a member of the other side as he worked out for the Chiefs on a free agent visit, per Ian Rapoport.
Walford entered the league with the Oakland Raiders as their third round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. While he played in 44 games for the Raiders over the last three years, he was never able to move up the depth chart enough to stick as the team’s starter, making only 10 total starts in those three years.
The visit is an interesting one for the Chiefs in that it shows they’re kicking the tires on potential replacements around the lower parts of the depth chart—making Alex Ellis’s spot at No. 3 TE not so certain. The team chose Ellis after an extended preseason tryout over other veterans like Jace Amaro and Tim Wright, but they might be changing their minds after seeing him in game action.
The Chiefs have Travis Kelce and Demetrius Harris as the primary two tight ends, so it’s assumed that Ellis might be lacking in his special teams play. This could also be just a bit of work on general manager Brett Veach’s end to bring in potential veterans who could help in case of emergency as a long season wears on. Then again, he already knows other names out there like Amaro and Wright, so this is likely about Walford against those other options along with Ellis.
Walford caught on with the New York Jets this offseason but was cut as final rosters were due. Walford has 70 career catches for 768 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in his three-year NFL career.