Chiefs GM Brett Veach talks safeties: Daniel Sorensen timetable, Ron Parker and the new acquisition

The Kansas City Chiefs kept five safeties at the 53-man roster deadline on Saturday afternoon—Eric Berry, Jordan Lucas, Eric Murray, Armani Watts and Daniel Sorensen.

Ron Parker is reportedly in that mix, but the Chiefs have yet to reveal exactly how Parker fits as of this writing. What general manager Brett Veach did provide was the first update we have heard on Sorensen in a long time.

(Note: Veach acknowledged that Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder will be speaking in detail on the injury on Wednesday)

“Those things—six weeks, that’s right around the time of the designate-to-return type of deal,” Veach said of Sorensen. “We're hoping to get him back—we’re hoping he plays at least half the season. I would say my hope would be he’d be ready by Week 8. Again, Rick will have more information on that (Wednesday), but you know how those things can go. If you have one little setback, it could be longer. If the guy does better than anticipate, maybe it’s even sooner than that, but I would think that halfway point would be a logical guess n my end.”

Veach’s words give me the feeling the Chiefs will be placing Sorensen on the injured reserve with a designation to return, and in his place, Parker will be added to the active roster.

The Chiefs also made a move to add a depth safety from the Miami Dolphins prior to the deadline in Jordan Lucas. Veach revealed the Chiefs almost poached the 25-year-old Lucas from the Dolphins’ practice squad last season.

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

“We like his ability to play in space and to cover, and he’s another guy—he plays (special) teams,” Veach said. “He’s a really good teams players—he stuck on Miami the last few years as one of their better teams guys. He's a guy that we like because of his corner background and rounding out the back end of that safety roster, he can play special teams.”

Veach was also asked how much Berry’s lingering heel injury played into the Chiefs’ decision to trade for Lucas and sign Parker back.

“I think you factor in everything, and we’re excited to get Eric Berry back and get him in the mix here,” Veach said. “Any time—whether it be a Ron Parker or anybody—you can add that can come in and help a young core that’s played here, knows the system, it’s something that’s always going to be advantageous, so I just think you do your homework and you kind of just see where you at.

“If you have room to carry a guy that is familiar with the scheme and familiar with the coaching staff and a guy that obviously we really like—we had a nice long run here with him. If it works out, we’ll see. I think you’re always going to keep those options open and if it presents itself, you go ahead and pull the trigger.”