Inside The Huskies

Whatever Happened to Ex-Husky Stalwart Danny Shelton?

The former UW defensive tackle has a second Super Bowl ring but not much else to show for it.
Dan Raley|
Whatever Happened to Ex-Husky Stalwart Danny Shelton?
Whatever Happened to Ex-Husky Stalwart Danny Shelton?

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Washington Huskies

Danny Shelton plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Really, he does. Honest. The defensive tackle has a Super Bowl ring to prove it.

However, the former University of Washington stalwart hasn't been all that visible in the NFL lately, for the past year finding himself relegated to the Chiefs' practice squad.

In 2022, he appeared briefly in just one game, subbing into Kansas City's 24-10 victory at home on Christmas Eve over the Seattle Seahawks, opponents from his college town.

That was it.

Shelton's situation has to be a little humbling, if not frustrating, considering he once was a first-round draft pick for the Cleveland Browns and played in 100 games, starting 72, over his first seven seasons in the league.

Yet last season for the most part, the stubby 6-foot-2, 345-pounder from Auburn, Washington, practiced during the week and watched in street clothes on the weekend as the Chiefs went 17-3.

Shelton, who has more pro experience than most of the rest of the KC defensive line combined, either found himself slowing down or he simply had an off year.

Chiefs Wire beat writer Charles Goldman took the latter tact when he summed up the big lineman's limited performance during a landmark season.

"When the Chiefs signed Shelton a season ago, fans were expecting a two-down contributor,” Goldman analyzed. “Instead, they got a player who spent the season on the practice squad.”

With training camps poised to open around the country, Shelton will have a chance to rekindle his NFL career. The Chiefs are short on DLs as they try to defend their Super Bowl success.

Shelton, if he can get himself in a little better shape, could be a big help for a team that could use it. Players are injured, players are young, players have left.

After playing for the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and now the Chiefs, the ex-Husky brings 278 career tackles and two Super Bowl rings to the upcoming competition.

“With depth at the defensive tackle position lacking, Shelton has an opportunity to crack the roster," Goodman surmised, "but he’ll need to take full advantage in training camp.”

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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