The Chiefs made a couple of minor transactions on the defenside of the ball on Friday.
As the Kansas City Chiefs continue to tinker with the bottom of the roster as training camp gets underway in St. Joseph, the team has decided to take a closer look at a pass rushing tweener who has been with an AFC rival for the last couple of seasons.
Owen Carney is a former defensive from the University of Illiinois, a player who closed his career ranked ninth on the school's all-time sack list with 15. At 6'3", 275 lbs. Carney came into the NFL with concerns about being too slow and heavy to play linebacker but without enough strength and length to succeed on the edge.
Despite going undrafted, Carney has found a way to latch on with NFL franchises for a longer look. The Miami Dolphins gave him a chance after his five-career college career wrapped up and the Bengals gave him a tryout in April, 2022 that led to a practice squad signing six months later. Unfortunately for Carney, despite a solid showing in the preseason with the Bengals a year ago, the team's depth on the edges led to his release.
On Friday, the Chiefs made room to sign Carney in free agency by releasing linebacker LuQuay Washington, a rookie free agent out of Central Connecticut. Washington impressed the Chiefs during rookie minicamp and earned a contract in the process.
As for Carney, he faces a significant climb to making the active roster, but for the Chiefs, this is likely more a long-term play to see the sorts of players they can call upon in case of emergency as the season unfolds. How Carney looks in a preseason showing with the team over the next few weeks—if he's given that long.
In the wake of a health scare for B.J. Thompson and the team's reported interest in Manny Ogbah in recent days, perhaps it signals the Chiefs were ready to add someone else to the mix of competition.