Kansas City Chiefs sign former Bengals defensive back Josh Shaw

The Kansas City Chiefs have added a new defensive back to the mix in former Cincinnati Bengals player Josh Shaw.

The Kansas City Chiefs are searching for answers in an ailing secondary, and their latest attempts to find them has brought in former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Josh Shaw.

The Chiefs announced the signing on Tuesday and the corresponding roster move by releasing tight end Alex Ellis.

Shaw was the Bengals’ fourth round pick of the 2015 NFL Draft who played in all 16 games in each of his three years with the team. Shaw started only 14 games in that time, 12 of them in 2016. He was cut earlier this year with an injury settlement so as to not take up a spot on injured reserve, but even then it was a possibility the Bengals would want him back when he was healthy again.

Now the Chiefs have signed Shaw to be a versatile option in their own secondary, a player who has largely played all over as a cornerback but also can slip in as a safety. Per Pro Football Focus, Shaw enjoyed his strongest season during his rookie year with a solid 73.6 grade that fell to 45.5 just last year. He’s always had strong grades in tackling but coverage scores last season were simply not good (although much more positive in previous years).

Shaw has 96 total tackles in his career to go with 7 passes defended and 1 interception.

As for the Ellis part of the deal, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Ellis made it through waivers and ended up right back on the team’s practice squad. Ellis was the team’s third tight end out of training camp, beating out players like Tim Wright and Jace Amaro, and the Chiefs likely aren’t interested in ridding themselves permanently of a player who won a long preseason battle.