KC Chiefs grab pass rusher Benton Whitley from Rams practice squad

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed pass rusher Benton Whitley from the L.A. Rams practice squad.

The Kansas City Chiefs have bolstered their depth at edge rusher in the wake of an injury to Mike Danna with the signing of Benton Whitley away from the Los Angeles Rams practice squad.

Whitley came into the league as a rookie free agent after going undrafted this past spring despite a strong career at Holy Cross. Whitley had 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks this last year, and he finished his career with 15.5 sacks total.

For the Chiefs, Whitley is an interesting addition to the roster for a few reasons. First, as a rookie free agent, he showed off solid pass-rushing skills in an unexpected summer showing for the Rams. There was some conjecture during the preseason among team reporters and analysts that Whitley might have forced his way onto the Rams’ active roster at the end of the preseason given how well he played in the preseason. However, there were only so many roster spots to go around and Whitley was stashed away on the practice squad instead.

Second, the rules state that any player poached from another practice squad must remain on the new team’s active roster for three games. Willie Gay’s suspension created a roster spot but the Chiefs elected to add some help on the edge instead of going with another linebacker. This might tell us something about Mike Danna’s ongoing availability, especially considering that he missed practice on Wednesday.

The Rams didn’t wait long to add another edge player to the mix with the signing of former Falcons first-round pick Takk McKinley.