KC Chiefs add Taylor Stallworth to active roster

In the wake of Turk Wharton’s season-ending injury, the Chiefs are turning to Taylor Stallworth to fill the void.

The Kansas City Chiefs turned to a familiar face to fill the unfortunate void created on Sunday with the season-ending injury to defensive lineman Turk Wharton. The good news is that they had trusted pieces already in place from the preseason with the likes of lineman Taylor Stallworth on the practice squad.

Stallworth is the next man up for the Chiefs after Wharton tore his ACL in the team’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead in Week 5. Wharton is now lost for the season and will face significant rehabilitation in the hopes of returning healthy and ready by next summer.

The Chiefs added Stallworth back in the spring as a free agent addition from the Indianapolis Colts. He signed a fairly inexpensive single-season deal, but fan hopes were high that he could push for greater competition on a defensive line that put up mediocre results the previous season. However, Stallworth was beaten out in the preseason and failed to make the active roster.

The good news is that Stallworth comes with a few years of experience with the Indianapolis Colts and should be able to contribute right away for the Chiefs. Wharton is an ascending young talent, but Stallworth just turned 27 years old in August and has 50 games of NFL experience. The Chiefs also have Chris Jones, Khalen Saunders, and Derrick Nnadi along the defensive interior.

Stallworth had 16 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and 3 sacks in rotational duty for the Colts last season in 16 games.