The Kansas City Chiefs officially announced the acquisition of cornerback Charvarius Ward on Friday morning. The Chiefs sent offensive lineman Parker Ehinger to the Cowboys in exchange for Ward, an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State.
“I’ve had a chance to look at Charvarius and he’s a big kid that’s really had a pretty good training camp for them,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of the 22-year-old undrafted rookie. “He’s somebody that will come in and work into that mix there. He’s young, so we’re not bringing him in to be the starter or any of that, but he sure is a nice addition to that group.”
Ward recorded seven tackles and two passes defensed during the 2018 preseason.
“It was surprising. I thought I played good enough to stick around, but God has got different plans for me,” Ward said Thursday night, via Cowboys.com. “I’ve just got to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Then on Friday morning, retweeted NFL Network contributor Bobby Belt:
He may not be ready quite yet, #ChiefsKingdom, but Charvarius Ward will eventually start games for you. He's a legit NFL player.
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) August 31, 2018
The Chiefs parted ways with Ehinger, who former general manager John Dorsey selected out of Cincinnati in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Ehinger started four games for the Chiefs as a rookie in 2016 but tore his ACL.
The 25-year-old could never find his way back into the Chiefs starting lineup.
“[The Cowboys] needed offensive linemen,” Reid added. “They’ve been checking on our group there and Parker will go in and do a nice job for them, and we appreciate everything he did here and how he fought back from his injury to get himself back to where he is now. He did a nice job.”
The Chiefs last listed Ehinger as their backup left tackle.
“They wanted him and we wanted Charvarius, so it all worked out well. I thought it was good for both teams.”
Obviously, Ward is a lock to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster when it is announced Saturday afternoon. He is listed in our 53-man roster projection.