Special teams in mind? Kansas City Chiefs sign veteran safety Deon Bush: report
Kansas City has taken a methodical approach through most of free agency, and it continued Wednesday morning.
The Chiefs signed safety Deon Bush to a contract, his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, told ESPN. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 6-foot, 198-pound Bush entered the league in 2016 out of Miami as a fourth-round pick with the Chicago Bears, where he spent the first six seasons of his career before joining the Chiefs.
Bush, 28, has appeared in 79 games with 12 starts in his career, totaling 89 tackles, a sack, three interceptions and 10 passes defensed in mostly a backup role, playing 15% or less defensive snaps in four out of six seasons. He projects to provide depth at the safety position behind Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid, whom the Chiefs signed to a three-year deal as the heir-apparent to Tyrann Mathieu.
Kansas City likely made this signing with special teams in mind.
Bush was a core special teams contributor in Chicago, averaging 60% or more of the snaps over the past four seasons. He should fill in immediately in the kicking game if the Chiefs don’t bring back unrestricted free-agent safeties Daniel Sorensen and Armani Watts, both of whom were mainstays on special teams.
Over the past three days, the Chiefs signed Bush, cornerback Luq Barcoo, linebacker Elijah Lee, offensive lineman Geron Christian and wide receiver Corey Coleman.
The Chiefs’ biggest splash signings through a week of free agency are Reid and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Here are other notable items we are tracking Wednesday:
- The Chiefs gave Tyreek Hill’s agent permission to seek a trade after contract extension talks stalled, a source familiar with the situation confirmed with The Star. The New York Jets are Miami Dolphins are reportedly the top suitors.
- The Chiefs signed center Austin Reiter to a one-year deal, a source told The Star. Reiter returns after spending time with the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams in 2021. He was the Chiefs’ starting center in Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LV but now projects as a backup to Creed Humphrey.
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Special teams in mind? Kansas City Chiefs sign veteran safety Deon Bush: report."
