Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is pleased with Chiefs release of John Lovett.
With a talented roster loaded with talent coming off of a championship run, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to face numerous difficult decisions in the coming weeks concerning which players to retain and which to let go on waivers. That’s because many of those players are likely to be claimed by others.
Practice squads have been expanded to allow for up to 16 players this season to maximize a team’s flexibility to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that many of the players floated on the waiver wire by the Chiefs will be guys they hope to bring back onto the team for developmental and depth purposes. They might not be ready enough for the active roster, but that doesn’t mean at all that they have no future with the team.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the most loaded rosters are the ones that are most often picked apart by other teams. Just like a successful coaching staff often suffers losses as other teams hope to grab a part of that success, the rosters will suffer the same fate. That’s already happening for the Chiefs even well before final active rosters are due.
Last week the Chiefs decided to part ways with John Lovett, a promising prospect who played quarterback in college at Princeton. On the pro level, he brought versatility to be able to play tight end, fullback, and halfback in a hybrid role that could allow for some interesting offensive flexibility.
In 2019, Lovett signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent and looked solid in rookie minicamp and training camp. However, he suffered a shoulder injury in the first preseason game that shelved him for the year on Injured Reserve. Given a year in the Chiefs system, it looked like he could return and compete in 2020 as an important depth piece with real potential.
Lovett was cut by the Chiefs as they reduced their roster to 80 players in camp and the Green Bay Packers were the winning claimants. (The San Francisco 49ers were also interested.) After getting a closer look at him, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur made it clear that the team is quite pleased with what they see in him so far.
"“Real versatile player. Very, very smart,” LaFleur said Thursday during a Zoom call with reporters. “Think he can do fullback but (also) that movable tight end piece that I think is extremely valuable, to add a little flexibility to the offense.”"
The New Orleans Saints have enjoyed great success utilizing Taysom Hill in plays designed around his versatility as a former college quarterback at BYU turned hybrid weapon. While it’s a stretch to say LaFleur can be that sort of player just yet, LaFleur is an offensive-minded coach with a track record of innovation.