The Kansas City Chiefs added another piece to their defensive line, signing journeyman defensive tackle Danny Shelton to a 1-year contract on Wednesday for an undisclosed amount.
Shelton was a 2015 first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns out of Washington, where he spent 3 years in Cleveland before spending at least a couple of years each with the Patriots, Lions, and Giants. In total, he has logged 6 sacks, 278 combined tackles, 138 of those being solo efforts, and another 17 for losses. Shelton joins cornerback Trent McDuffie on the Chiefs, another Washington Huskies product, as a defensive player drafted in the first round. While the current Chiefs depth chart already lists McDuffie as a first-string player on the back end, Shelton should add girth up front.
The Rundown
A run-stuffing DT by nature, Shelton (6-2, 340 pounds) has appeared in 100 career NFL regular season games with 72 career starts. The 28-year-old appeared in 13 games with the Giants last season, recording 31 total tackles, a tackle for loss, and a half-sack on the year. His last start came in 2021 with the Lions, but he has plenty of experience at the position. From 2016-2018, Shelton didn’t have a run defense grade lower than 72.8 per Pro Football Focus.
The addition of Shelton will provide some much-needed depth on the Chiefs’ interior with Taylor Stallworth dealing with a knee injury. Kansas City also has quite a few developmental players on the interior defensive line lower down the depth chart.
The Verdict of Adding Shelton
The Chiefs have been adding new faces along the defensive front ever since training camp started and have signed defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Azur Kamara in late July plus adding Matt Dickerson on Monday after releasing Shilique Calhoun.
Shelton is currently 29 years old played in only 29 percent of snaps last season in 13 games for the Giants and put up 31 total tackles in 2021. He will also not suit up for the Chiefs’ preseason opener against Chicago. The Chiefs are still working on finalizing their 90-man roster since Shelton’s and other player signings.