Chiefs Sign 2019 Fifth-Round Defensive Lineman to Contract
The first and second waves of 2023 NFL free agency have passed, but teams are still busy adding to their rosters as the offseason continues. The Kansas City Chiefs are no different, as they appear to be adding to their defensive line room on Friday.
According to JL Sports, the representation of free agent defensive lineman Byron Cowart, Kansas City is signing him to a contract:
Cowart, who played college football at Auburn and Maryland (recording three sacks and five tackles for loss in his final collegiate season), was a fifth-round selection by the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played in five games over the course of his rookie campaign, recording two tackles and no other volume stats.
In 14 games with the Patriots in 2020, Cowart recorded the first sack of his career while also amassing 27 total tackles (three for loss) and three quarterback hits. He played 419 snaps for Bill Belichick's defense, which was 48% of available reps. Cowart also spent 19% of his time on special teams, logging 66 total snaps there for New England.
After being released by New England and subsequently getting picked up by the Indianapolis Colts in the summer of 2022, Cowart spent his third season in Indianapolis. Playing in all 17 games for the Colts this past season, the veteran had 12 tackles (two for loss) and played 227 total snaps on defense — a 20% share — and 92 on special teams.
Pro Football Focus marks the 2022-23 campaign as Cowart's worst, giving him an overall defense grade of just 30.4. Those figures were 52.3 and 66.2 in the previous two seasons, however, which are more in line with a depth piece along the defensive line. The Chiefs lost Khalen Saunders to the New Orleans Saints earlier this offseason but managed to re-sign Derrick Nnadi, and the interior of Steve Spagnuolo's defensive line still had some room for added competition. Cowart serves as exactly that for now, and the rest of the offseason program will determine whether he sticks in Kansas City.
