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After adding an offensive tackle to the team last week, the Kansas City Chiefs have made another move at the tackle position. The KC Star's Randy Covitz reports new Chief Ryan McKee is in and Chandler Burden is out.
#Chiefs sign OT Ryan McKee from rookie tryout camp. OT Chandler Burden is released.
— Randy Covitz (@randycovitz) May 27, 2014
McKee, an offensive lineman from Southern Miss, was a tryout player last weekend at rookie minicamp. Burden was on the Chiefs practice squad last season and re-signed to an offseason deal last January.
Adding a tryout player is a good thing for other tryout players to see. It shows someone on the bottom of the totem pole can show enough to actually earn a contract. Of course, he still has to make the 53-man roster in September or be named to the practice squad. These types of roster moves will happen throughout the offseason.
McKee hasn't played a game in the league. He actually entered the league in 2009 and bounced around with the Jets and Rams since then. CBS Sports described him as a consistent, multi-year starter at Southern Miss.
The three-year starter and 2008 second-team All-Conference USA right tackle is as dependable and consistent as they come. The Southern Miss coaches considered McKee an extension of themselves on the field and a solid leader in the locker room. He also played with a torn labrum throughout much of his senior season, undergoing surgery in January. Although he lacks the bulk most NFL teams want in a strong-side tackle, McKee has gained weight over the past year and has the body to add a bit more.
Eric Fisher and Donald Stephenson are the top two tackles as of now. Four-year veteran J'Marcus Webb was signed last week. Those look like the best bets to make the roster at this point ... which is way too early to make any definitive statements about depth charts.
OT Ryan McKee will wear jersey No. 66. McKee lined up at RT on Sunday and Monday during rookie minicamp.
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) May 27, 2014