The Alliance of American Football is ready to kick off their season this weekend, and plenty of former Kansas City Chiefs are taking part.
For years, football fans have been forced to look to other sports to quench their competitive thirst once the Super Bowl was completed. The countdown lasting several months until preseason football felt like a viewing gauntlet to be endured, but this year fans have a very real option—albeit one with very few recognizable players—in the Alliance of American Football.
The AAF, a new eight-team league set up as a spring-scheduled minor league of sorts, gives football fans a couple more months of real football to watch. The eight teams will rotate through 10 weeks of a regular season before culminating in the championship game in late April—the same Saturday as the final rounds of the NFL Draft in 2019.
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Fans will instantly recognize most of the head coaches involved with the league, major names like Steve Spurrier, Mike Martz, Mike Singletary, and Rick Neuheisel. Players, on the other hand, will likely only be familiar to those fans for whom the players had once played or tried out or those players who suited up for favorite college teams.
As for Kansas City Chiefs fans, there are plenty of faces to watch in the new AAF on both offense and defense. Here’s a complete rundown of who to watch in the coming weeks if you aren’t ready to stop watching football anytime soon.
T.J. Barnes, DL, Atlanta Legends
Barnes is a journeyman defensive lineman who will be the heaviest member of any team he joins. Get this: he’s listed on the ATL roster page as 379 lbs. Incredible! He even made the Chiefs active roster in 2016 late in the year.
De’Vante Bausby, DB, San Antonio Commandeers
The Chiefs looked like they lost a hidden gem when Bausby went to the Philadelphia Eagles. The undrafted FA corner earned high marks in preseason work in two years with Philly, but ultimately now is trying for yet another chance with a pro team.
Martin Bayless, Secondary Coach, Birmingham Iron
Bayless played professionally for the Chiefs for two years in the nineties, and after several years working for the NFLPA, he’s furthering his coaching experience as the Iron’s DB coach.
Anthony Becht, TE coach, San Diego Fleet
Veteran tight end Anthony Becht is taking his expertise after playing tight end in the NFL to the coaching side. Becht played a single year in K.C. and caught only 3 passes in 2011.
Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego Fleet
The Chiefs flirted with Escobar for the entire offseason two years ago but the former second-round pick couldn’t earn a roster spot on a team constantly flirting with tight end projects.
Rickey Hatley, DT, Birmingham Iron
Hatley, a former defensive star at Mizzou, landed with the Chiefs’ practice squad in 2017 for multiple stints but failed to make enough of an impression for a long-term look.
Tyrone Holmes, LB, San Antonio Commandeers
Holmes should be a familiar face to Chiefs fans given that he was a late cut from the linebacking corps just before this past season began.
Montori Hughes, DL, Memphis Express
The Chiefs signed Hughes to a futures contract in 2017 but he failed to make the active roster despite his impressive size and strength.
Akeem Hunt, RB, Orlando Apollos
Brett Veach brought in Hunt as a return option and special teams player from the Texans.
Seantavius Jones, WR, Atlanta Legends
We all remember the very brief moment that Jones was a preseason stud who we thought could really make the leap at wide receiver for the Chiefs.
Devin Lucien, WR, Memphis Express
If you remember Lucien, you’re among the biggest Chiefs fans around since Lucien was a practice squad member for about 2-3 weeks in 2017.
Damien Mama, DL, San Diego Fleet
Mama was once the biggest member of the Chiefs roster, and the USC product looked the part of an undrafted free agent find. However, the N.Y. Giants signed him away late in 2017 and that was the end of his Chiefs tenure.
Jonathan Massaquoi, LB, Birmingham Iron
The former Troy linebacker landed with the Chiefs for the bulk of the spring and summer of 2016 before getting cut.
Alonzo Moore, WR, San Antonio Commandeers
The former Nebraska wideout tried to catch on with the Chiefs in 2017 as an undrafted free agent.
Aaron Murray, QB, Atlanta Legends
John Dorsey could never unearth a late round QB gem, but Murray is still chasing the pro dream after all.
Earl Okine, DL, Orlando Apollos
Okine lasted one full year with the Chiefs on the practice squad in 2016 and through the rest of the 2017 preseason before being cut in September.
Mike Purcell, DL, Salt Lake Stallions
Purcell spent nearly a year with the Chiefs from late in 2017 as a PS signing through all of last offseason. The 27-year-old has bounced around the NFL since the 2013 season.
Keith Reaser, CB, Orlando Apollos
Veach seemed high on Reaser as a journeyman corner coming into the 2018 season, but he couldn’t make the active roster despite being praised by Veach and Andy Reid during OTAs.
Rashad Ross, WR, Arizona Hotshots
For an undrafted wideout who left college in 2013, Ross has enjoyed a longer-than-average career with several varied stints in the NFL. He landed with the Chiefs practice squad in 2013.
Nelson Spruce, WR, San Diego Fleet
Spruce entered the league as an undrafted wideout with the L.A. Rams and earned buzz for those paying close enough attention. The Chiefs took a flyer on him last spring, but he failed to last even two months. The Chargers picked up him for the rest of the summer but dropped him before the regular season.
Jordan Sterns, DB, Salt Lake Stallions
Sterns impressed as an undrafted free agent alongside his college teammate Ashton Lampkin for the last couple years, but neither player ultimately could break into the team’s secondary.
Andrew Tiller, OL, Orlando Apollos
Tiller seemed like a solid bet to make the Chiefs as a journeyman backup, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he can leverage this experience back into an NFL shot if he shows up well in the AAF.
Michael Vick, OC, Atlanta Legends
Vick, who briefly served as a coaching intern for the Chiefs, is the offensive coordinator for the Legends. Should be interesting to see his coaching career develop.