Elijah McGuire signs to Kansas City Chiefs practice squad

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed third-year running back Elijah McGuire to the team’s practice squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made another move to potentially bolster their backfield with the signing of running back Elijah McGuire to the team’s practice squad ahead of their match up with the Oakland Raiders in Week 13.

McGuire is a third-year back who was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs had formal interviews with McGuire in the pre-draft process although they landed Kareem Hunt early in that same draft, which likely kept them from adding McGuire in the later rounds.

McGuire has struggled to move the chains in the ground game with the Jets during his first two seasons, which is likely why the team decided to move on after only two seasons. McGuire was picked up by the Cleveland Browns from there, and McGuire even made the team’s active roster early in the year. However, the Browns ultimately let him go in October and he’s been a free agent ever since before signing with the Chiefs.

McGuire’s game, however, is not about any sort of punishing run style but instead as a back who is dangerous in space with good hands. McGuire caught 36 passes for 370 yards in the last two seasons for the Jets, and that comes on the heels of a career in which he caught 130 passes for Lousiana-Lafayette.

The Chiefs have an interesting situation to watch right now in the backfield given that LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams were both dealing with injuries or issues after the team’s Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City. If those concerns linger, it could leave the Chiefs thin in the backfield and McGuire could have a chance to bounce up to the active roster. If nothing else, it gives the team an inside look at a back that drew interest in years past.