The Kansas City Chiefs have signed tight end Jody Fortson to their 53-man roster amid the downturn in form of regular starter Travis Kelce .
The fortunes of the three-time Super Bowl victor have been mixed during the opening three weeks of the new NFL season, with the star having caught eight passes for 69 yards, without scoring a touchdown. The 34-year-old rallied back with a stronger showing against the Los Angeles Chargers subsequently - ending on seven catches for 89 yards.
Meanwhile, KC head coach Andy Reid already has tight end Noah Gray at his disposal, with the player having started the campaign impressively. Now, the Chiefs have moved to sign Fortson to an active roster contract, as they added a reinforcement to their ranks from the practice squad.
Al Michaels told to retire after Thursday Night Football call for Mike Evans TD Jason Kelce's ESPN colleague rants about NFL icon's 'Monday Night Football' presence The 28-year-old previously was part of the team's active roster and practice squad after being signed as undrafted free agent by the Chiefs back in 2019. He spent the summer in training camp with the Miami Dolphins but has since returned to Missouri after he was released on August 25.
During his career, Forston has tallied up 14 receptions for 155 yards, alongside four touchdowns in his 19 appearances in the NFL. However, his last appearance in the league came back in 2022 - with the tight end having played 13 times during that campaign for the Chiefs.
Fans hailed the signing, with one taking to Twitter X to say: This was a good move. The former WR now TE should be used on Monday Night Football, while a second said: ""Great moves! Excited to see TE Jody Fortson on the active roster. Solid additions to the team!"
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As for the recent drop in form experienced by teammate Kelce, it appears that the future Hall of Famer is keeping a level head on matters after the team went four games unbeaten. Speaking on " New Heights ", he said: "[I was] struggling in terms of stats. I was still playing winning football, and that’s all that [...] matters.
"I was accountable this game. I didn’t have any drops –– which was what happened in Atlanta to make me feel like I had a bad game, but I still didn’t have an outstanding game. There’s a lot that goes into having a great game." I helped my team find a way to win, and that is all that will ever matter.”
Likewise, coach Reid issued a vote of confidence in his player, saying: "I know people are saying that he is old or whatever, has distractions and all this [but] the defenses don't think that. We have another receiver [Rice] that plays opposite him that has a lot of yards and catches, and that's how this thing goes.
"He works his tail off, and he hasn't lost his step and all those things, and he's not distracted. That's not the case. People are making sure they have him taken care of by some of these defenses.''
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