Kansas City shook the roster up a bit following Wednesday’s practice, signing former New York Giants cornerback Michael Hunter. The move was made after the Chiefs decided to move cornerback Tremon Smith to the offensive side of the ball to play running back.
Michael Hunter will reunite with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who was with the Giants from 2015 to 2017.
Hunter was an undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State in 2016 when the Giants picked him up. However, he struggled to make the team’s roster in 2016 and was officially waived in 2017 and has bounced around the league since then; spending time with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and the Houston Texans.
It’s no doubt the Chiefs are hoping that by adding Hunter, he’ll provide depth as well as competition to a secondary that has been thinned out by injuries since camp started. Kansas City put cornerback Keith Reaser on injured reserve yesterday after tearing his Achilles during practice. Safety Jordan Lucas has been out since day 2 of camp with a hamstring injury and defensive backs Armani Watts and Bashaud Breeland also suffered minor injuries, but have since returned.
Adding Hunter will also fill the gap left by CB Tremon Smith, who will be making the transition to running back.
Drafted by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft, Smith’s role during his rookie campaign was primarily on special teams as the Chiefs main kick returner where he returned 33 kicks for 886 yards in 14 games. Smith also saw limited action on defense but registered five total tackles and one pass deflection.
Having early success in the return game where he was able to show off his speed, it seems the Chiefs are looking to take advantage of Tremon’s skill set by allowing him to join Patrick Mahomes and the offense.
Smith will join a running back group that is low on competition after starter Damion Williams went down to injury earlier in the week and has yet to return. He will compete with veteran Carlos Hyde, rookie Darwin Thompson, and second-year runner Darrel Williams for a spot on the roster.
