Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 3/11

Chiefs Sign S Tyvon Branch from The Mothership

"We are excited we were able to reach a deal with Tyvon and bring him to Kansas City," Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said. "He is a physical player who we feel can help our defense. We're looking forward to having him."

Branch (6-0, 210) has played in 75 games (67 starts) in seven NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders (2008-14). His career numbers include 461 tackles (355 solo), 25 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks (-83.0 yards), 12 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He owns four career interceptions and 19 passes defensed. He started 57 consecutive games from 2009 to 2012.

Chiefs Make the NFL's "Top 20 Free-Agent Signings in History" List from The Mothership

Jim Reineking, a media editor with NFL.com, compiled a list of the top 20 free-agent singings in history, and the Chiefs cracked the list at No. 13 for their monumental move in 2001.

On the same day the Chiefs acquired Trent Green in a trade with the St. Louis Rams during the '01 offseason, they also signed unrestricted free agent running back Priest Holmes, who had been a backup with the Baltimore Ravens the season before.

After rushing for 1,094 yards and three touchdowns in 1999 and 2000 combined, Holmes ran for 1,555 yards and eight touchdowns in 2001 alone to become just the second player in Chiefs franchise history to lead the NFL in rushing.

Report: Chiefs to cut ties with Dwayne Bowe from Chiefs Digest

Multiple reports on Tuesday afternoon, notably from Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, indicate the Chiefs plan to release the veteran wide receiver.

PRE JUNE 1: The move frees up $5 million in cap space for the Chiefs this season, and clears $13 million in cap space for both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

POST JUNE 1: The move frees up $9 million in cap space for this season, $7 million for the 2016 season and $13 million for the 2017 season.

Dwayne Bowe's time with Chiefs apparently coming to an end from ESPN

Bowe, the Chiefs' first-round draft pick in 2007, is second on the club's all-time list of receptions with 532. He was the Chiefs' leading wide receiver in each of his eight seasons and three times went over 1,000 yards.

But that hasn't happened since the 2011 season.

Chiefs sign veteran safety Tyvon Branch to one-year deal from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

After agreeing to terms with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, the Chiefs opened free agency Tuesday by signing veteran safety Tyvon Branch to a one-year contract.

Branch helps to fill a void at safety created by Eric Berry's ongoing treatment for lymphoma and the potential loss of free agents Kurt Coleman and Ron Parker.

The 28-year-old Branch has been solid when he's healthy, but injuries have kept him from appearing in just five games over the past two seasons. Branch broke his leg two years ago, and last year was off to a strong start before a season-ending foot injury.

Chiefs sign Tyvon Branch to one-year deal from Chiefs Digest

The Chiefs announced Tuesday morning the signing of free-agent safety Tyvon Branch.

While the Chiefs did not disclose the terms of the deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports Branch signed a one-year contract with more than $2 million guaranteed.

Signing of veteran safety Tyvon Branch makes sense from ESPN

The Chiefs, at the moment, have only Husain Abdullah and Eric Berry as experienced safeties. Berry is undergoing treatment for lymphoma near his home in the Atlanta area.

Ron Parker and Kurt Coleman played a lot for the Chiefs last year, but are potential free agents. The Chiefs also have Sanders Commings, but he missed almost all of his first two NFL seasons because of injuries. Anything they get from him is a bonus.

K-State WR Tyler Lockett met with Chiefs at Combine from Chiefs Digest

The Chiefs, in particular, sent three representatives to observe K-State's draft prospects, including wide receiver Tyler Lockett, center B.J. Finney and defensive end/linebacker Ryan Mueller.

But perhaps the Chiefs were also present to follow-up after meeting with a high-profile wide receiver prospect at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

"I talked to the Chiefs in a formal interview," Lockett told ChiefsDigest.com after his Pro Day workout. "I got a chance to meet all of the coaches. We sat down, we watched film."

NFL wants teams' phone records from ESPN

"The memo makes clear that we will look into any potential violations of the rules," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday.

The last sentence of the letter reads: "At this time, the league office is beginning investigations into a number of reported agreements with clubs. Violations will be dealt with accordingly."

The NFL sent its memo after news leaked, beginning Sunday, of several agreements between high-profile free agents and teams, including Ndamukong Suh with the Dolphins, Byron Maxwell with the Eagles and Jeremy Maclin with the Chiefs.

Pressure is on Alex Smith to make Jeremy Maclin deal work from ESPN

It's true that few of Reid's wide receivers have gone over 1,000 yards. Maclin never got to 1,000 yards in his three seasons with Reid in Philadelphia, though he did have 964 yards in 2010 and probably would have got there had he not missed three games in 2011. 

But Reid was often playing with less than a full wide receiving deck with the Eagles. In his early years in Philadelphia, his best wide receivers were players like Torrance Small, Todd Pinkston and James Thrash. Good players, but not in the Maclin category. 

Bigger numbers started happening for the Eagles receivers once Reid started getting players like Terrell Owens, DeSean Jackson and Maclin. In any case, a wide receiver wound up leading the Eagles in receiving nine times in Reid's 14 Philadelphia seasons.

UT alum and Kansas City Chiefs star Jamaal Charles visits Texas House from The Statesman

The Kansas City Chief's star running back Jamaal Charles visited the Texas House on Tuesday and was recognized for his skills on the field and his dedication to charity.

State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, filed House Resolution 713 to honor Charles, a former University of Texas at Austin standout originally from Port Arthur.

2015 NFL Free Agency: Eagles interested in safety Ron Parker from NJ.com

The Eagles struck out on New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty earlier this week, leaving them looking for a safety to pair with Malcolm Jenkins.

One of those safeties? Kansas City Chiefs' Ron Parker.

According to a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity, the Eagles are interested in Parker, and have him on their short list of potential free agents to lock up when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET.

Bears' Ryan Pace practices patience as free agency opens from The Chicago Sun Times

The Bears still were busy. They had interest in tight end Virgil Green, but he re-signed with the Broncos.

Safety remains a priority, and there are some quality players still unsigned, including the Kansas City Chiefs' Ron Parker.

So moves might be on the way. Just be patient.

An offseason to remember? from Arrowheads Abroad

Obviously not all players were willing to sacrifice a little change for the greater good. Instead joining the dark side. I can't say I blame Rodney Hudson entirely. This was his first big contract and he wanted to get maximum value out of it. The Raiders were willing to pay more for his services, a lot more in fact. Sometimes you have to accept the inevitable and let a player go get his dollar.

None the less with the addition of Jeremy Maclin this has already been a very promising start to the free agency period and with 11 picks to come in the draft this could be an offseason to remember for the Chiefs Kingdom.

Royals Hear a Personal Plea to End Violence Against Women from The New York Times

What happened in Kansas City on Dec. 1, 2012, precipitated a call Redmond received not long after from the Royals organization. That day, Jovan Belcher of the N.F.L.'s Chiefs — who share a sports complex with the Royals in Kansas City, Mo. — killed his girlfriend, the 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins, before driving to the team's training facility and turning the gun on himself.

The same day, The New York Times posted an article online about Redmond's marriage to Derek Brown, a former star running back at Nebraska, and her reconciliation with the university after years of contention over how it had handled her rape accusations against another former player, Christian Peter.

Redmond had returned to Lincoln to tell her story to the team, in itself an emotional and cathartic experience. Shaken by what happened with Belcher and the Chiefs, the Royals summoned Redmond to speak when spring training began in 2013.

Ravens are $9.835 million under cap, in talks with Justin Forsett from The Baltimore Sun

The Ravens would also ideally like to add a veteran wide receiver to play opposite five-time Pro Bowl pass catcher Steve Smith. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Stevie Johnson are among the candidates, if they're released by their respective teams. Johnson is scheduled to make a $5.5 million base salary this year.

Michael Crabtree is also expected to leave the 49ers.

Brian Hartline says he picked hometown Browns over Patriots and others because he believes in Mike Pettine's vision from Ohio.com

The Dolphins released Hartline because they were clearing salary-cap space and didn't want to pay him the $5.95 million he was scheduled to make next season, but they reportedly expressed interest in re-signing him. The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans were in the mix, too.

Hartline, though, bought into Pettine's message.

"He's a man's man, straight to the point, loves football, wants to win," Hartline said. "He was easy to talk to. He's got an AFC East background, so we kind of talked about crossing paths in the past. I enjoyed it. I believed in his vision and where he wants to go and what's the kind of team he wants to build. He's a major part in wanting to be here."

NFL Free Agent Fantasy Football Impact from FOX Sports

Jeremy Maclin, KC - After recording his first 1,000-yard receiving season, Maclin is moving back to the coach who drafted him, Andy Reid. Maclin becomes the Chiefs No. 1 receiver instantly (sorry, Dwayne Bowe). Kansas City's wide receivers went the entire 2014 season without catching a touchdown. Maclin caught 10 last year.

Regional combine returns to Smithville for 3rd year from The Smithfield Herald

Former Kansas City Chiefs Tim Grunhard and Will Shields, a recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, are expected to be on hand to help facilitate individual and team drills for the roughly 200 participants.

The combine begins at 8:30 a.m. and features a series of individual drills designed to test the athletes. Later in the afternoon, players compete in one-on-one and seven-on-seven scrimmages, and Orr said the competition element is routinely one of the most enjoyable parts of the event.