KC Chiefs sign pass rusher from Canadian Football League

The Kansas City Chiefs have added a new face to the roster in their attempts to remake the defensive line for the 2022 season with the addition of Canadian Football League defensive end Jonathan Woodard.

The Chiefs had Woodard in for a visit a few days ago at Arrowhead Stadium along with former Denver Broncos first-round pick Shane Ray and others. The Chiefs have signed a few players from that very workout including wide receiver Justin Watson and cornerback Brandin Dandridge.

According to CFL reporter Justin Dunk, Woodard landed with the Chiefs after working out for Kansas City as well as the New York Giants earlier this winter.

Woodard would hardly qualify as a prospect since he’s already 28-years old and has been around the NFL and now CFL for several seasons. He was a seventh-round pick out of Central Arkansas back in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars but was waived before his rookie campaign began after tearing his Achilles tendon.

From there, Woodard caught on with the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills for a few years, mostly via practice squad stints, but he did play in six games for the Dolphins in a rotational role in 2018. He had 10 tackles and 1 sack.

From there, Woodard latched on with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the 2021 season and enjoyed a true breakout campaign. In his first season in the Canadian Football League, he finished second in the league in sacks with 10 and put up 21 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in 14 total games.

Woodard joins the Chiefs at a pivotal point where the Chiefs are hoping Joshua Kaindoh can make a leap forward in the wake of pending free agency for Melvin Ingram and Alex Okafor. The Chiefs also have to figure out how to handle Frank Clark’s massive cap hit this offseason as well.