Former Chiefs lineman Breeland Speaks tries out for Green Bay Packers

Breeland Speaks earned a tryout for the Green Bay Packers earlier this week.

Breeland Speaks is still out there.

In case you’ve been wondering about the whereabouts of the former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman, Speaks is still reportedly trying to any and all NFL teams to extend his playing career while he can. The latest attempt came with a tryout for the Green Bay Packers, who recently conducted a workout with a couple players—likely in hopes of adding practice squad bodies for the postseason.

It’s been a tough journey for Speaks ever since his release from the Chiefs, but even then, his career wasn’t so settled. Speaks entered the league as the very first draftee for new general manager Brett Veach, an executive who has gone on to win a Super Bowl and showcase much greater acumen in the draft. Unfortunately that very first draft class didn’t pan out too well with Speaks as the biggest bust overall.

In Speaks’ first season, he was a man out of place in Bob Sutton’s defense, despite comments from Veach that he saw him as an instant contributor. From there, he was lost for the entire 2019 season due to injury in Steve Spagnuolo’s first year as defensive coordinator. From there, he had simply been passed over by too many on the roster to make it onto the 2020 squad, and he’s struggled to remain employed ever since.

The Las Vegas Raiders have given him a couple opportunities along the way, and the Dallas Cowboys also gave him a place to land in November. However, each instance was short-lived and now he’s trying to make it with the Packers. It’s possible they like him enough to give him a futures contract to see how things develop during the offseason.

Let’s not forget how former castoffs like Emmanuel Ogbah or Taco Charlton have looked in rotational pass rushing situations for the Chiefs. Just because Speaks hasn’t found his place doesn’t mean that he won’t. While the odds might be stacked against him, it only takes the right coaching staff in some instances to bring out the best in a player.