KC Chiefs Sign Trey Dean, Add Kelvin Joseph and Shi Smith on Futures Deals

Kansas City is making three Wednesday moves along the fringes with eyes set on the future.

The Kansas City Chiefs are locked in on preparing for Sunday's Divisional Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills, but general manager Brett Veach is staying busy elsewhere.

After designating wideout Skyy Moore to return from the injured reserve list and placing linebacker Cam Jones on IR, Kansas City is making some additional moves. In a corresponding decision following Jones's IR placement, Cole Christiansen is being added to the active roster from the practice squad. Newly signed safety Trey Dean will take his place on the practice squad, with a pair of others also joining the organization.

With eyes set on the offseason, the Chiefs are signing cornerback Kelvin Joseph and wide receiver Shi Smith to reserve/future contracts.

Chiefs roster moves Wednesday:

*WR Skyy Moore designated for return from IR (not on active roster)
*LB Cam Jones to IR
*LB Cole Christiansen from practice squad to active roster
*S Trey Dean to practice squad
*Reserve/future deal: CB Kelvin Joseph & WR Shi Smith

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) January 17, 2024

There's a lot to unpack here, but each player is simply organizational depth at this point. Dean comes to Kansas City from the New York Jets after going undrafted in 2023. The defensive back is a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder who recorded 255 tackles and 18 passes broken up during his career at Florida. He hasn't played in any games yet.

Regarding the reserve/future contracts, this serves as an opportunity for Joseph and Smith to stick around during the offseason and compete as members of the 90-man roster. Joseph was a second-round pick back in 2021 and has 31 career games of experience under his belt. He's logged in-game reps with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks throughout his professional tenure. The former Kentucky standout last played eight special teams reps for Seattle back in Week 16 of this season.

Picked in the same draft as Joseph, Smith was a sixth-round selection by the Carolina Panthers in 2021. In his first two campaigns in Carolina, he hauled in 28 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns. After getting waived in August of last year, Smith joined the Tennessee Titans' practice squad the following month but saw his contract expire after the regular season.

On reserve/future deals, players are no longer allowed to negotiate contracts with other teams. That means Joseph and Smith will technically be Chiefs once the new NFL league year begins, and they won't count against the expanded roster limit until then. With the top-51 rule in place from that point until the beginning of the regular season, having futures players in place is a very cost-effective and easy way to insulate a depth chart throughout Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and into training camp. 

In the spring (and possibly the summer), both Joseph and Smith may have opportunities to make a lasting impression on the team.

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