The Kansas City Chiefs brought back a familiar face in offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann.
A familiar face returned to Arrowhead Stadium this week with the news that the Kansas City Chiefs brought back offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann to the roster. Specifically, general manager Brett Veach signed Witzmann to the team’s 16-player practice squad on Wednesday.
Witzmann was a surprising story on the Chiefs roster in 2016 and 2017 when he found very real playing time after short stints with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys. As a former undrafted free agent from South Dakota State, the climb was always uphill for Witzmann but he grew considerably with Chiefs coaching and he took full advantage of the opportunity.
For the Chiefs, Witzmann would go from preseason waiver claim to backup and special teams contributor in 11 games in 2016 to earning a one-year extension in the summer of 2017. He would become the team’s full-time starting left guard for that same season. It was short-lived, however, as the team decided to move on to Cam Erving (and then to Andrew Wylie that same year).
Two years after he was claimed, Witzmann was released by the Chiefs and he caught on for several starts with the Chicago Bears. Last season, he also appeared in a couple games for the Carolina Panthers, with offseason short stints on the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins in between.
Earlier this week, the Chiefs created room on the practice squad by releasing developmental quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. After a nice run in the short-lived XFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks, Ta’amu had earned a roster spot with the Chiefs in the late spring and even beat out competition for a third quarterback spot on the 90-man roster. However as the season approach, the Chiefs also signed Matt Moore for depth and security, and Ta’amu was eventually cut loose.