Andy Reid Makes Roster Move After Patrick Mahomes Got Difficult Injury News at Chiefs Camp

Training camp’s barely underway in Kansas City, but the Chiefs are already treating it like a dress rehearsal for January. On July 30, Andy Reid and Co. got to work reshuffling the deck, waiving punter Eddie Czaplicki and cycling in a wave of tryout talent. Wideouts Kawaan Baker and Kwamie Lassiter showed up. So did a handful of defensive backs… Harrison Hand, Kaleb Hayes, Azizi Hearn… And a name that quietly started turning heads—Ajani Carter.

Just a few days ago, he was another camp hopeful. Now? He’s reportedly the latest addition to a secondary that’s clearly still in flux. The NFL reporter, Aaron Wilson, reported that the Chiefs are signing Carter per a league source. A University of Houston product, Carter stands at 6’22 and weighs roughly 200 pounds. The cornerback started his collegiate career at Utah State before transferring to Houston for his lone season.

The guy spent four seasons at Utah State (2019-2022), where he showed up in 40 games, recorded 109 tackles, 4 interceptions, 6 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles. His standout metrics? It came back in the 2022 season, his last at Utah. Carter earned a 90.8 run-defense grade, which not only led his team. Nope. It ranked him second among all corners in the country. Tackling?

Same story. His 82.6 grade put him second in the entire Mountain West. Fast forward, and the young cornerback transferred to Houston after skipping the 2023 season. In Houston, Carter appeared in 11 games and quietly had a notable season. He logged 360 snaps and tied for third on the team with three pass breakups. But the real story?

He didn’t get beaten often. In over half his games, the receivers he covered were held to one catch or none. His best outing came against Baylor, where he dropped a 78.4 coverage grade, showing he could hold his own against Big 12 talent. No flash. Clean play. And the Chiefs noticed. They brought him a couple of days ago. And now?

Well, Andy Reid and Co. are reportedly signing him ahead of the 2025 season. Besides, the Chiefs have also signed Azizi Hearn and WR Key’Shawn Smith. The Chiefs brought Hearn along with Carter on July 30, and he’ll now compete to make his way through for the 2025 season. As for Smith, the wideout remained undrafted before the Chiefs invited him to their rookie minicamp tryout. His mom reportedly shared on social media that he was a Chief. Fast forward to now, and Smith kept his promise.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are unfortunately one of the teams that are tackling injury issues.

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid had a rough training camp day

By now, it’s pretty clear that the training camp injuries are piling up. And it’s not just one team dealing with the pain. Nope. It’s a league-wide headache. Frustration’s setting in everywhere. And unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes‘ Chiefs are right in the mix as well. The Chiefs will resume their camp on Friday after Thursday’s day off. However, the last couple of days weren’t much kinder.

Almost a dozen players were sidelined on Tuesday (July 29) and Wednesday (July 30). Leading the chorus were three wide receivers. Not a good thing. Count second-year wideout, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Skyy Moore sidelined at Tuesday’s practice. An ankle complication interrupted Brown’s practice while Moore hurt his hamstring. Worthy? He’s now in the concussion protocol.

But the list continues. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor did not practice on Wednesday following a knee injury, as confirmed by Andy Reid and his crew. Then there’s cornerback Kristian Fulton, who also hurt his knee and was subsequently out. That said, the CB has now missed all of the training camp practices on the Chiefs’ PUP list. Speaking of the CBs, Darius Rush also missed practice with a hamstring injury. His third day in total. And he’s now waived injured.

Meanwhile, coming back to the offense, tight end Jake Briningstool is still struggling to gain rhythm due to his hamstring injury and has missed his fourth day of camp. Last and hopefully the least set of players who were sidelined due to injury complications are rookie linebacker Jeff Bassa (ankle sprain), safety Deon Bush (hamstring), and cornerback Eric Scott (hamstring). Scott joined Rush on the waived-injured list.

All three sat out Tuesday’s grind for the first time. And when Wednesday rolled around, they stayed on the sidelines again. So, taking it all in, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will now continue their camp with a few players on the sidelines.