Five possibly impactful Kansas City Chiefs on futures deals
By Jacob Milham
The Kansas City Chiefs are usually frugal while building their roster depth. One of the many tools available to general manager Brett Veach is a reserve/futures deal.
A reserve/futures deal is slightly more complicated than the normal free agent signing. First, players can only sign reserve/futures deals once the regular season is over and they were not signed to an active roster. For example, Chiefs wide receiver Daurice Fountain was eligible for this deal, despite playing in multiple regular-season and postseason games. Fountain was on the Chiefs’ practice squad when the regular season concluded, thus making him eligible for the reserve/futures deal.
These deals emphasize the “futures” aspect, as teams want to keep these players around for training camp and the preseason. Players signed to these deals only count against the 90-man rosters, while competing for a coveted spot on the 53-man roster. Players such as running backs Spencer Ware and Dion Lewis, offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva, and wide receiver Willie Snead are a few notable names acquired this way.
The Kansas City Chiefs had an unspectacular wave of free-agent signings. Could players on reserve/futures deals help build the next championship team?
A team signing players to these deals speaks to a player’s potential. These are players who still have room to grow, and a team wants them to grow under their control.
The Chiefs signed several players this offseason to reserve/futures deals. Many are familiar names to Chiefs fans, but some are relative unknowns. All these players share similarities though. They are hungry, unproven players who will compete for a roster spot on football’s highest level. What players could make 2022’s initial 53-man roster, and possibly make an impact during the regular season?