Chiefs re-sign punter Jack Fox to practice squad; release Cody Thompson

According to a report from Houston Chronicle reporter Aaron Wilson, the Kansas City Chiefs have re-signed punter Jack Fox to their practice squad.

Fox was with the Chiefs during training camp, where he demonstrated that he had a big leg, but still needed development to be an effective NFL punter. Fox — along with former Chief De’Anthony Thomas — worked out with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday.

According to friend-of-the-site Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, the Chiefs released wide receiver Cody Thompson to make space for Fox on the practice squad.

So what’s going on here? Why would the Chiefs add a punter to the practice squad at this point in the season?

Two possibilities:

• The Chiefs got word that Fox was working out with the Ravens, and decided to get him off the market. It’s possible that even though Fox didn’t make the final roster this season, the Chiefs view him as a potential future successor to punter Dustin Colquitt. Having Fox on the practice squad isn’t a perfect solution. Another NFL team could poach him from the Chiefs, but to do so, they’d have to be willing to put Fox on their active roster for three weeks.
• The Chiefs know something about Colquitt that we don’t. While we aren’t aware that Colquitt has suffered any kind of injury, it wouldn’t be that unusual for us to be in the dark at this moment. After all, it was just last Tuesday that we didn’t know Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark was dealing with a neck injury. The next day, we learned of that injury during Andy Reid’s session with the news media — and by Friday, Clark had been ruled out of the game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

Given what happened with Clark last week — and Fox’s signing — it’s very likely that Reid will be questioned about Colquitt’s status during his press appearance on Wednesday.