The Kansas City Chiefs announced two signings on February 22. The first was the addition of punter Matt Araiza, but the second was a reunion.
With the roster expanding to 90 men, the Chiefs elected to bring back veteran safety Tyree Gillespie — who first signed with the organization after Bryan Cook’s ankle injury in early December. Later, Gillespie was released just before the start of the 2024 playoffs in order to make room for defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs.
Gillespie was originally drafted in the fourth round by the division rival Las Vegas Raiders, and he’s got some Missouri ties after playing college ball with Mizzou. So far, Gillespie’s appeared in 11 games with the Raiders as a rookie (eight tackles) and another three with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
He mostly contributed on special teams throughout both stints at the NFL level.
Considering Gillespie only turns 26 in September, it’s possible either defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo or special teams coordinator Dave Toub believes the defensive back can turn into a useful contributor in 2024. He has not suited up in a regular season game since 2022.
Chiefs Retain Isaiah Buggs, 7 Others for 2024 Offseason
In case you missed it, Kansas City also re-signed Buggs to the 90-man roster on February 14, along with seven other expiring practice squad contracts. Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick reported the news on X.
Far from the most important news of the day, but Chiefs signed eight free agents today:
DT Isaiah Buggs
S Trey Dean
DT Matt Dickerson
RB Keaontay Ingram
DE Truman Jones
RB Deneric Prince
CB Keith Taylor
WR Montrell WashingtonAll practice squad members whose contracts expired.
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) February 14, 2024
Those players were safety Trey Dean — who only joined the Chiefs on January 15 — defensive lineman Matt Dickerson, running back Keaontay Ingram, defensive end Truman Jones, running back Deneric Prince, cornerback Keith Taylor and wide receiver/returner Montrell Washington.
The 6-foot-3 Buggs is an appealing candidate to get some more action in 2024, considering the defensive tackle position is totally barren at the moment. He’ll compete with Neil Farrell for a potentially vacant nose tackle role — unless Derrick Nnadi returns in free agency.
Buggs is not much of a disruptor (two career sacks and four tackles for a loss), but Pro Football Focus has credited him with 44 key defensive “stops” and 35 QB pressures at the professional level — most of which came in 2022.
Dickerson should also be in the mix at D-tackle, although he’s more of a 3-tech than a nose tackle.
Checking in with the other positions that added depth, Dean, Jones, Prince and Ingram are four interesting KC youngsters that could have the opportunity to earn more reps this spring and summer.
Chiefs Safety Tyree Gillespie Scouted as ‘Physical’ & ‘Athletic’ Deep Safety Prospect Out of Missouri
Back in 2021, Gillespie was scouted as a third- or fourth-round talent for a reason.
NFL Network draft expert Lance Zierlein called him a safety prospect with “the physical and athletic profile to make it in the league,” acknowledging that “finding the right spot for him could be the key.”
Perhaps, the Chiefs can turn into that “right spot” with a full offseason of development.
In 2021, Bleacher Report draft scout Cory Giddings also described Gillespie as “an average-sized safety who flashes very good speed and twitch.” Adding: “He comes with a ton of experience” and “works best in deep coverage, where he can see the play develop.”
“Gillespie should be an early contributor on special teams with enough versatility to be looked at in a variety of schemes, although there might not be a perfect fit for him,” Zierlein concluded at the time.
He’ll join a safety room led by Justin Reid and the aforementioned Cook.
