KC Chiefs players who could shine with more playing time in Week 17
By Matt Conner
Tim Ward
Brett Veach stated after he signed Tim Ward to a rookie free agent contract back in 2019 that it was going to be awhile before Chiefs fans saw what Ward could become. That timeline was only stalled further when Ward was injured and spent his first year in the pros on injured reserve for the Chiefs.
This year, however, Ward beat the odds by remaining in the team’s sights for a second year as a former UDFA and staying on the practice squad for much of the season. Then in recent weeks, Ward has even been elevated to the active roster in order to keep other teams from potentially signing him away. In short, Ward looks like a player who is valued internally and that means we might actually see him given some real playing time in Week 17.
Coming out of Old Dominion, Ward was always in Oshane Ximines‘ shadow, but Veach said he was an ideal fit as an end in Spags’ defense. It could be fun to see if Veach struck gold with another hidden gem, especially as current options like Tanoh Kpassagnon and Taco Charlton and Alex Okafor are on the verge of hitting free agency.