Chiefs Sign Kansas State Product to Temporarily Replace James Winchester

With Winchester nursing an AC sprain, Kansas City dipped into the local talent pool for a temporary replacement long snapper.

Jan 4, 2022; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas State Wildcats long snapper Randen Plattner (42) and Kansas State Wildcats punter Ty Zentner (8) celebrate winning the Texas Bowl after defeating the LSU Tigers in the 2022 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports / Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are making a signing on Monday for an oddly specific role following an injury in Saturday's preseason loss to the Detroit Lions.

Over the weekend, long snapper James Winchester suffered a shoulder injury and was originally deemed questionable to return by the team. While the 35-year-old came back into the game in the second half, Kansas City is erring on the side of caution regarding his status. Tight end Noah Gray did an admirable job pinch-hitting against Detroit, but a more proven presence won't hurt.

On Monday morning, head coach Andy Reid shared that Winchester is dealing with an AC sprain. He won't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chicago Bears, and the Chiefs have his replacement added into the fold.

"Winchester, with that AC sprain, we're just going to hold him out," Reid said. "We've signed a center that will come in and do the long snapping for us this week until he gets back."

The reigning Super Bowl champs didn't have to look far for someone to fill Winchester's shoes. According to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride, the Chiefs signed Kansas State product Randen Plattner for this week. In a corresponding move, offensive lineman McKade Mettauer was waived/injured. The undrafted free agent from Oklahoma is nursing an MCL injury suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this preseason.

Plattner, a Missouri native, attended Park Hill high school. Following a redshirt 2018 campaign at Kansas State, he played in five seasons and capped off his career in 2023-24. He logged 62 outings of experience with the Wildcats, which was the second-most in program history. Plattner appeared in all 13 games this past year, finishing as a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Long Snapper of the Year award. He was also First Team Academic All-Big 12.

Given Winchester's ability to (mostly) play through his injury in a preseason game, it isn't worth questioning his availability long-term. The Plattner pickup is a quick move that helps the veteran rest up and get ready for the opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Ironically, Plattner was waived by Baltimore earlier this month.

Now, he gets a chance to produce some quality tape in the Chiefs' final preseason game and look to latch on with a franchise for the regular season.

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