Overlooked angles of the KC Chiefs recent roster moves
By Matt Conner
Cortez Broughton is a name to know
For just a minute, let’s assume that everything we said about the defensive line depth doesn’t play out as planned. If the Chiefs endure another injury or perhaps one of the aforementioned players fails to live up to expectations, the Chiefs do have some in-house help in the form of Cortez Broughton on the team’s practice squad.
Broughton hasn’t played an official snap for the Chiefs just yet, but he’s a familiar face for those who’ve kept close watch on the AFC West in recent years. Broughton was the seventh round selection of the Los Angeles Chargers back in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati. He remained on the team’s roster through this past preseason but wasn’t able to make the active roster in 2021 after watching his playing time increase in the last two seasons.
While Tom Telesco was the same man who drafted him, the switch to a 3-4 front by the Bolts made Broughton an odd man out. However, Broughton has proved to be a fairly disruptive presence even along the interior while at Cincy. In his final season, he had 18.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 5 pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.
What’s heartening is that Gus Bradley liked him as a developmental asset as a 3-tech and gave him more playing time in year two than his rookie campaign. It was still sparse, but he appeared in 9 games in 2020 and there’s something to like here enough for the Chiefs to keep him on the practice squad all season after the Chargers waived him.
If something goes wrong and Saunders remains out, the Chiefs could call on Broughton.