The Kansas City Chiefs moved Andrew Armstrong from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Friday, Oct. 23, giving the receiver a place on the active roster just as the team’s pass-catching depth is being tested again. The move means Armstrong will make his second appearance for the Chiefs this regular season.
Armstrong’s rise is not happening in a vacuum. He had already flashed enough to earn a longer look after one game in which he caught one pass for 13 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers, then played 42 offensive snaps and nine on special teams in Week 6. Kansas City also had two open roster spots, so this was the kind of move the front office could make without waiting on a bigger shuffle.
Matt Derrick put the update bluntly: the Chiefs have filled one of their two open roster spots with Armstrong. That matters because the roster move comes at the same time Rashee Rice is set to miss his second straight game against the Seattle Seahawks, leaving Kansas City still searching for answers at receiver. Rice was productive before the injury, with 13 catches on 17 targets for 190 yards and one score, but he suffered the setback against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 and had zero targets in that game.
The Chiefs are also without Tyquan Thornton, who remains sidelined by a dislocated ankle suffered against the Las Vegas Raiders. That leaves Armstrong as part of a thinner group at a time when the team could still be in the market for another pass-catcher before the Nov. 10 deadline. Nate Carter took Armstrong’s spot on the practice squad, but the more important question now is whether Kansas City views Armstrong as a temporary patch or the start of a longer look on the active roster.
