Chiefs GM Brett Veach holds true to his word with the latest addition to the practice squad

The Kansas City Chiefs are continuing to shuffle their practice squad ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Chiefs are signing former Philadelphia Eagles DT Marlon Tuipulotu to the practice squad. A former sixth-round draft pick out of USC in 2021, Tuipulotu has appeared in 28 career games. He appeared in 14 games for the Eagles last season, recording 22 total tackles and two sacks in 162 defensive snaps.

No word on a potential corresponding move yet, but the practice squad in its current iteration is as follows:

• LB Swayze Bozeman
• S Deon Bush
  
• LB Cole Christiansen
• TE Baylor Cupp
• DT Matt Dickerson
• DT Neil Farrell Jr.
• OT Chu Godrick (exempt)
• RB Keaontay Ingram
• CB Nic Jones
• DE Truman Jones
• DT Fabien Lovett
• OT Lucas Niang
• WR Nikko Remigio
• WR Justyn Ross
• CB Keith Taylor
• WR Montrell Washington
• QB Bailey Zappe

Between the practice squad and 53-man roster, the team currently has 35 offensive players, 31 defensive players, and 3 special teams players. The question is, which player will be released to make room for Tuipolotu?

Chiefs GM Brett Veach holding true to his word with latest practice squad signing

If you caught Chiefs GM Brett Veach's press conference on Thursday, you'd know that he said the team would continue looking to add to the interior defensive line and the cornerback position. Those are two spots where they're a little lighter than they may like to be.

“I think that the corner position and the defensive line position, I think is just one of those things that where we’re going to continue to look at and monitor. That was certainly – that caused the urgency to get Cam (Cameron Thomas), again just as a defensive end. On the defensive line in particular, we did have some numbers that were close. We felt like we would have a good chance to get some of these guys on the practice squad to use the elevation. There is a little of us buying some time to get – I mean (Charles) Omenihu is going to be the big piece for us down the stretch. I think when we find a guy that we feel adds a little more upfield rush in that group – I think Turk (Tershawn) Wharton’s had a great camp. He is way ahead of where he was last year coming off that knee injury, so you have Chris (Jones), you have Turk (Tershawn) Wharton who had a great camp – I think we have an experienced player in Derrick (Nnadi). That third position or that fourth position with Derrick (Nnadi) (and) Mike Pennel – you know the end of the season he (Mike Pennel) had last year and that Super Bowl he had last year, he continues to define odds because he is an older guy, but he continues to bring juice to that room. I think if you had a guy that you can supplement in here that has some upfield rush, might be a smaller guy – we weren’t able to find that in the waiver wire (and) we will continue to do that. We also know that as this goes on here, we are going to get Charles (Omenihu) back and he is kind of that last missing piece of that defensive line for us.”

Tuipolotu would certainly fall into that a smaller guy with some upfield rush ability. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 307 pounds and has 10 total pressures and three sacks over the past three seasons. It's not a ton of production, but it's more impact than anyone on the team's practice squad has made in the NFL.

Related: Chiefs announce a flurry of roster moves including waiving a player who they just claimed days ago