The Kansas City Chiefs picked up OT Jared Gaither just a week after he failed a physical with the Oakland Raiders and while he claims he's 100 percent healthy after missing all of last season with a back injury, that's clearly not the case as he has been very, very limited in practice.
Kent Babb of the KC Star reported that Gaither left Chiefs practice early on Sunday and headed to the dreaded "Rehab Zone" to ride the exercise bike. In the KC Star blog post, Babb wondered whether Gaither would be worth a roster spot at all.
It's a good, if not surprising, question. We knew Gaither failed a physical with the Raiders so we figured he wasn't completely healthy. So the idea that he may not even make the team, while still surprising, isn't completely out of the blue.
Personally, I think he's making this team (and that's just a guess not based on any insider info). If he can stay on the roster throughout the year, prove that he's healthy and that he still has some ability, then he'd be worth keeping on the roster, even if the Chiefs don't plan to retain him next year.
I say that partially due to the compensatory pick system. The Chiefs are paying Gaither less than $700,000 this season so they have a minor investment in him (well, "minor" is relative in this case). But if Gaither gets healthy while on the Chiefs, and leaves the team next year via free agency, the Chiefs could be eligible for a compensatory pick depending on the contract he signs elsewhere and how much he plays in 2012.
Maybe I'm looking too much into this -- it wouldn't be the first time -- but Gaither has potential value for the Chiefs even if all he does is get healthy this year in KC.