What to Make Of Chiefs’ Friday Roster Moves

Kansas City shuffled some pieces around in advance of Saturday’s game against Seattle.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took the podium virtually on Thursday afternoon, giving some brief injury updates on some of his players who have missed in-game action and/or practice as of late. He did leave some wiggle room in regard to multiple players, however, and the team's final injury report of the week did the same.

On Friday afternoon, Kansas City provided some clarity. Tight end Blake Bell has been officially activated off the injured reserve list and in his place, Jody Fortson is going on IR with an elbow ailment. Wide receiver Mecole Hardman wasn't activated off IR, as Reid hinted at on Thursday. Additionally, defensive tackle Danny Shelton got called up from the practice squad via Standard Elevation. 

These decisions may appear to be minor ones on the surface, but they could all have varying impacts both this week against the Seattle Seahawks and down the road. Let's take a look at everything the Chiefs did or didn't do on Friday and what it might mean for the immediate future.

What does losing Jody Fortson and gaining Blake Bell do to the tight end room?

Starting with what Kansas City's offense is losing, it's no secret that Reid is a massive fan of 13-personnel (one running back, three tight ends) formations. The Chiefs have had several games this season in which those looks have been noticeably effective, and Fortson has played a role in that. With that said, the athletic 27-year-old tight end's overall impact is a bit overstated. In double-digit games this season, Fortson has just nine receptions for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Not having Fortson as a red-zone threat may hurt the Chiefs, but second-year man Noah Gray has emerged as the team's clear tight end No. 2. On top of that, potentially getting Bell back in the fold is a serious plus from a blocking standpoint. Bell is the best blocking tight end the Chiefs have, and the upgrade from Fortson to him in that department very well could offset the drop-off in the pass-catching realm. The Chiefs will hope to get Fortson back off IR after four weeks but in the interim, Bell seeing the field after rehabbing from a hip flexor injury all season is a nice consolation prize. 

Chiefs will be without Mecole Hardman for another week

Hope has been building within the Chiefs organization that Hardman would be activated by now, but the fourth-year wideout remains in his 21-day practice window as the team passed on the opportunity for him to play in Week 16. Hardman, who worked through some injuries earlier in the season but didn't miss any games until his abdominal issue crept up, hasn't played since Nov. 6 against the Tennessee Titans. While the speedy pass-catcher is far from perfect as a pure receiver, the Chiefs have missed that dynamic threat in their offense.

In the three games prior to going on IR, Hardman scored five total touchdowns. It seemed like Kansas City was just beginning to figure out how to optimize him once again, then he was taken out of the equation. The duo of Hardman and Kadarius Toney projects to be downright terrifying for opposing defenses to plan for, but the two have only played in one game together (Toney's first outing as a Chief). The nature of Hardman's role doesn't require much of a ramp-up period once he's active, but Reid will ideally want a couple of regular-season games to get him worked back into the offense. For at least one more week, he won't have that chance. 

How Danny Shelton can help Steve Spagnuolo's defense

Back in August when the Chiefs signed Danny Shelton, many expected him to log snaps along Steve Spagnuolo's defensive line as a run-stuffing extraordinaire. After all, the 29-year-old was coming off a disappointing 2021 campaign with the New York Giants and needed to prove that he could produce in a better situation. Despite all of that, Shelton hasn't played a single snap this year for the Chiefs and instead got his reps on the practice squad. With defensive tackle Khalen Saunders carrying a doubtful designation into Saturday's game, that paved the way for a potential Shelton season debut.

In-season acquisition Brandon Williams has performed at an admirable level in his first two weeks as a Chief, logging 35 combined snaps between Weeks 14 and 15. Saunders has averaged a 47% snap share in the past three weeks, thus leaving some reps to go around for Williams, Shelton and Derrick Nnadi. It remains to be seen what Shelton's impact will be in Week 16, but a concentrated dose of controlled chaos could be just what the doctor ordered for the Chiefs' front four. If Shelton makes the most of whatever playing time he gets on Saturday, that will help both him and the Chiefs as they also work Williams and Nnadi into the rotation along with Swiss Army knife Mike Danna.