A familiar name is back around the Kansas City Chiefs, and the timing gives the team a little more breathing room in the secondary.
Cornerback Melvin Smith Jr. has landed on the Chiefs’ taxi squad after the club’s Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson of KPRC in Houston. Smith’s return comes after a brief stop with the Tennessee Titans.
Smith had earned a spot on Tennessee’s 53-man roster out of training camp after turning in a strong preseason as a second-year corner. That run ended when the Indianapolis Colts waived defensive back Jaylon Jones and the Titans moved quickly to add a veteran from an AFC South rival, leaving Smith as the odd man out.
Placed on waivers Thursday, Smith went unclaimed and spent the weekend waiting for his next opportunity. The Titans may have had a path to bring him back, but the Chiefs ended up getting him, adding another young defensive back to the practice squad in case they need him.
For Kansas City, this is another chapter in a winding path for a player who first arrived as an undrafted former standout from Southern Arkansas. Smith had to answer real questions about whether his college production would translate to the NFL, but he forced his way onto the offseason roster after joining the Chiefs on a tryout at rookie minicamp. He stuck around on the practice squad, then picked up a futures deal before eventually falling off the roster last month, which opened the door for Tennessee to claim him.
Kansas City has not announced any corresponding moves to create the opening for Smith on the practice squad, but his return gives the Chiefs some immediate depth and a developmental arm for the future.
He joins a cornerback group on the practice squad that also includes veteran Kader Kohou, who signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs in March after his contract with the Miami Dolphins expired, and D'Arco Perkins-McCallister, who signed as a rookie free agent in May.
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