KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs claimed two players off waivers after the NFL’s final round of roster cuts, inside linebacker Sam Barrington from the Packers and offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann from the Cowboys.
Barrington gives the Chiefs something they lacked at one starting inside linebacker spot: experience. One starter is Derrick Johnson, who has 11 seasons of NFL experience. But since the other projected starter, Josh Mauga, went down for the season during training camp with a hip injury, the Chiefs have had precious little experience at the other spot.
The Chiefs’ other inside linebackers -- Justin March, D.J. Alexander and Ramik Wilson -- all are headed into their second NFL season. March projects to be the starter, at least initially, and he’s never so much as played in a regular-season NFL game.
Barrington, 25, isn’t a veteran in the sense Johnson is, but he’s headed into his fourth NFL season and started eight games for the Packers. That makes him experienced for the Chiefs at his position, relatively speaking.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs will waive Wilson to clear roster space for Barrington. That’s surprising in that Wilson was the Chiefs’ fourth-round draft pick last year.
Witzmann, on the other hand, looks more like a developmental prospect. He’s never played in a regular-season NFL game and with the Chiefs set at tackle with Eric Fisher and Mitch Schwartz as the starters, they can afford to give Witzmann some time to work on his game.
The Chiefs released a backup offensive lineman, Jordan Devey, to make roster room for Witzmann
