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This roster move has me thinking about the health of Kansas City Chiefs guard Jeff Allen.
#Chiefs release Josh Martin, promote OG Rishaw Johnson off the practice squad
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) September 24, 2013
The Chiefs announced the move so it's official. Martin was not a player a lot of folks picked to make the 53-man roster on cut down weekend but he did. He can now become the new Bradley McDougald as the 53rd man on and off the roster.
I dont know for sure but it sure seems like the move to bring Johnson onto the active roster is related to the injury to guard Jeff Allen, who suffered a groin injury against the Eagles last Thursday. He didn't practice on Monday. Wednesday's practice will tell us more but I would guess the two are related.
Here is how the Chiefs interior line looks as of the last depth chart:
LG: Jeff Allen
C: Rodney Hudson, Eric Kush
RG: Jon Asamoah
Geoff Scwhartz is listed as a tackle but you would throw him into the guard depth as well. Johnson is now on the active roster and fit into that role as well.
I'm curious to see how this turns out this week. Schwartz is capable of playing there (I think). The Chiefs are much better equipped to handle an injury this year than they were last year.
Here's the bio on Johnson from the Chiefs:
Johnson (6-3, 313) joined the Chiefs practice squad on Sept. 3, 2013. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in April of 2012. He served primarily on the Seahawks practice squad during his rookie season before being released by Seattle on Aug. 31, 2013. Johnson played collegiately at California University of Pennsylvania and was a teammate of current Chiefs center Eric Kush. Johnson was voted a team captain for the Vulcans and was a first-team All-American in 2011 after playing the previous three seasons at Ole Miss. He prepped at Hammond High School in Hammond, La.
One more fun fact: This means the Chiefs now have four Johnsons on the active roster. Derrick Johnson, Nico Johnson, James-Michael Johnson and now Rishaw Johnson.