Chiefs place Jody Fortson on IR, elevate two players from practice squad

On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs made some personnel changes in advance of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

As announced on the organization's official Twitter account, the team has placed tight end Jody Fortson on the team’s Reserve/Injured list. They have also elevated linebackers Darius Harris and Christian Rozeboom from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game.

Fortson is now in his third season with the team — but only the first in which he has appeared in regular-season games. He was on the Chiefs’ practice squad as a wide receiver for both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Switching over to tight end in 2021, he finally earned a roster spot, appearing in six games before suffering a torn Achilles in Sunday’s contest against the Washington Football Team. Before the injury, he had registered five catches (and two touchdowns) on five targets during just 52 offensive snaps.

Although he will be eligible to be designated for return from the Reserve/Injured list after three games, it is almost certain Fortson will miss the rest of the 2021 season. He underwent surgery earlier this week.

The Chiefs made no corresponding roster move to fill Fortson’s roster spot. They now have 52 players on their active roster.

With starting MIKE linebacker Anthony Hitchens out for Sunday’s game, the elevations of Harris and Rozeboom are clearly intended to improve the team’s linebacker depth for the matchup against the Titans. As elevated players, both will automatically be returned to the Chiefs’ practice squad after the game.