Veteran lineman Daniel Kilgore is set to sign with the Chiefs.
According to Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports, the Kansas City Chiefs are ready to add another veteran offensive lineman to the mix by signing Daniel Kilgore.
Kilgore, who is 32-years-old, is a 6’3, 291 lb. lineman who comes to the Chiefs from the Miami Dolphins as the latest stop in his nine-year career. Kilgore served as the Dolphins starting center over the last two seasons, although his 2018 campaign was cut short by a season-ending injury after just a few weeks (a torn tricep muscle).
Before he spent the last two seasons in south Florida, Kilgore was with the San Francisco 49ers for the majority of his career. He was the team’s fifth round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and climbed the depth chart to become the team’s starting center in his final years with the team.
For the Chiefs, Kilgore’s signing gives them another interior lineman who can compete for snaps at center and guard. It’s interesting timing in that Kilgore is experienced enough to pick up an offense fairly quickly but there’s also not a lot of time left for him to show the coaches what he can do best and/or work with the line to develop any real chemistry in the preseason.
Kilgore has 56 NFL starts under his belt and 91 total games played. That’s a solid resume of experience to bring into competition with incumbent starting center Austin Reiter, second-year prospect Nick Allegretti, and rookie free agent Daryl Williams.
Are the Chiefs aiming for more experience overall on the line? Is Reiter’s job really in jeopardy at this stage? If so, why wait to sign Kilgore so late in the preseason? It will be interesting to see how preseason reps are handed out once Kilgore is able to step into Arrowhead after passing his COVID-19 tests.