Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson announced on Monday that the club has made 14 transactions in anticipation of the NFL’s first mandatory cutdown deadline. All NFL teams are required to trim their roster down to 75 players by 3:00 PM on Tuesday, August 28th.
Kansas City placed G Chris Bober, FB Greg Hanoian, LB David Hicks and WR Maurice Price on Injured Reserve and terminated the contract of WR Rod Gardner. The Chiefs also released 9 players: T George Batiste, CB Michael Bragg, DE Chris Harris, WR Brent Little, CB Marcus Maxey, TE Mike Pinkard, T Ramiro Pruneda, WR Titus Ryan and T Kevin Sampson.
Batiste (6-4, 289) entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie this season after starting 48 games at Southern Mississippi, including all 13 games as a senior. He was a three-year starter at L.W. Higgins High School in Avondale, Louisiana.
Bober (6-5, 310) has appeared in 91 career games (37 starts) in seven NFL seasons, including 48 games over the past six years with Kansas City. He played in all 16 games (two starts) a year ago for the Chiefs as well as the playoff contest at Indianapolis (1/6/07). A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Bober was a consensus first-team All-America selection for his hometown University of Nebraska - Omaha.
Bragg (6-1, 183) saw duty in four regular season games as well as one postseason contest for the Chiefs last season after signing as a free agent. He initially entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the N.Y. Giants in 2005 after a standout collegiate career at Texas A&M - Kingsville. A Lakewood, California native, Bragg tallied 36 tackles, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and 10 passes defensed in two collegiate seasons.
Gardner (6-2, 219) joined the Chiefs as a free agent in September of 2006. He saw action in 14 contests with the Chiefs, logging two receptions for 17 yards (8.5 avg.). He also added nine special teams stops and forced two fumbles on special teams. Gardner originally entered the NFL as a first-round selection (15th overall) of Washington in the 2001 NFL Draft. In six NFL campaigns, Gardner has appeared in 90 games (62 starts) and caught 242 passes for 3,165 yards (13.1 avg.) with 23 TDs.
Hanoian (6-2, 242) originally came to Kansas City as a free agent in 2006, but has not appeared in a regular season game. Prior to his stint in Kansas City, the Syracuse alum spent time with the N.Y. Giants, Green Bay and Detroit. Hanoian was a two-year letterwinner with the Orange, logging a career rushing average of 5.6 yards per carry.
Harris (6-5, 257) joined the Chiefs as a rookie free agent in May of 2007. He played in 43 games (two starts) at Alabama, tallying 46 tackles (23 solo), 9.0 tackles for loss (-23.0 yards), 3.0 sacks (-14.0 yards), two QB pressures, an interception, three passes defensed and a forced fumble.
Hicks (6-2, 236) entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2007 after appearing in 28 games for Grambling, totaling 128 tackles (66 solo), 11.0 tackles for loss (-36.0 yards), 2.0 sacks (-19.0 yards), an interception, four passes defensed, four QB pressures, a fumble recovery, four forced fumbles and a blocked kick. Hicks prepped at El Dorado High School in El Dorado, Arkansas.
Little (5-11, 193) entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Cleveland in 2006. He attended training camp with the Browns a year ago, but was released prior to the start of the regular season. A three-year starter at Southern Illinois, Little appeared in 49 games (32 starts) for the Salukis. He caught 124 passes for 2,303 yards (18.6 avg.) with 20 TDs and led the team in receptions from 2003-05. Little also returned 26 kickoffs for 560 yards (21.5 avg.). A Kansas City native, Little concluded his prep career at Poplar Bluff High School in Poplar Bluff, Missouri where he earned all-state honors as a senior.
Maxey (6-0, 192) originally joined the team as the club’s fifth-round pick (154th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. He saw action in 46 games (15 starts) for the Miami Hurricanes, recording 75 tackles (40 solo), two INTs for 32 yards, seven passes defensed, two QB pressures and two fumble recoveries.
Pinkard (6-5, 259) re-joined the Chiefs as a free agent in June. He originally joined the Chiefs as a rookie free agent in 2003 and later spent time on the practice squad of the Chicago Bears in 2004. A veteran of NFL Europa, Pinkard recorded 16 receptions for 164 yards (10.3) for the Hamburg Sea Devils in 2007. He also started 10 games for the Berlin Thunder in 2004, catching 22 passes for 234 yards (10.6 avg.) with three TDs.
Price (6-0, 197) posted 202 receptions for 2,429 yards (12.0 avg.) with 19 TDs as a three-year starter at Charleston Southern. A two-time All-Big South Conference standout, Price was also a two-time recipient of Offensive Receiver of the Year honors from Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. He posted 103 catches as a junior, becoming just the seventh receiver in Division I-AA history to record 100 or more catches in a single season. The Orlando, Florida native was a four-year performer at Olympia High School, earning first-team all-county honors as a senior.
Pruneda (6-6, 317) joined the Chiefs last January after a five-year standout career at Monterrey Tech in Monterrey, Mexico. He attended training camp with NFL Europe in 2006 as a national player. He was part of a Monterrey Tech team that claimed four National Championships and was named the country’s Best Offensive Lineman three times by the ONEFA (Mexican counterpart to the NCAA).
Ryan (6-0, 193) joined the Chiefs as a rookie free agent in May. He played one year of football at Concordia College in Selma, Alabama after a successful stint at East Central Community College. Ryan also competed as a sprinter in track and field for one season at Wallace State Community College.
Sampson (6-4, 312) appeared in 16 games (seven starts) in three seasons with the Chiefs. A former seventh-round draft pick in 2004, Sampson started six games at right tackle in 2006. The Syracuse product played in 44 games (24 starts) at Syracuse, blocking for a 1,000-yard rusher in all four seasons.
