KC Chiefs Sign Safety Tyree Gillespie to Offseason Roster

Kansas City signs a former AFC West rival defensive back who played college ball at Missouri.

Even in the very early stages of the NFL offseason, teams are busy working despite the new league year not starting until March 13. The Kansas City Chiefs' offseason roster continues to see players added to it, including a name many fans should be familiar with already.

Per an announcement from the team on X, Kansas City is signing safety Tyree Gillespie. The club also confirmed the signing of punter Matt Araiza, which Joshua Brisco of Arrowhead Report dove into earlier on Thursday.

We have signed the following Free Agents:

P Matt Araiza
S Tyree Gillespie pic.twitter.com/4SRFkszOHx

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 22, 2024

Gillespie, who just wrapped up his third season in the league, was a fourth-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. He played college football at the University of Missouri, recording 146 tackles (six for loss), 12 passes broken up and a pair of sacks throughout his four-year career. During his rookie campaign, Gillespie played in 11 games for Las Vegas and recorded eight tackles while logging 13 snaps on defense and 150 on special teams.

Prior to the start of the ensuing season, Gillespie was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a conditional draft pick. After being waived by them later in August, he landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played in three games. He hasn't appeared in a regular-season contest since then, spending the 2023 offseason with the Houston Texans before ultimately signing with the Chiefs' practice squad in December. He was released on Jan. 5 of this year.

Leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, I dove into Gillespie's prospect profile. Here's what was written for the "positives" section back then:

Tyree Gillespie is an aggressive safety who plays a physical brand of football. He isn't the biggest player on the field, yet he manages to keep his nose clean in run defense. He's a hard hitter who wraps up with solid form both in traffic and in the open field. Gillespie showed serious flashes of being an enforcer at the next level. He embraces contact in all aspects of the game.

Short-area work is where Gillespie will make his money moving forward. He projects to play well in the box, where he can use his great burst and not have to cover as much ground. He doesn't have the best long speed, so allowing him to act on plays that are in close proximity will maximize his value. Concerns about his overall athleticism won't turn into problems, so long as he isn't asked to do too much.

Kansas City's safety room has a clear hierarchy at the top, with Justin Reid and Bryan Cook being the top two names as starters. Behind them, however, Mike Edwards and Deon Bush are free agents and the team has shown more of a willingness to develop Nazeeh Johnson and Chamarri Conner as hybrid pieces rather than pure safeties. Gillespie, who sits just under six feet tall but ran an impressive 4.43-second 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process, slots in with players like Trey Dean as organizational depth with an opportunity to make an impact during the offseason program. 

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