By Matt McMullen – Chiefs.com
The Kansas City Chiefs made a roster move this week, signing offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez following last weekend’s rookie minicamp.
Gutierrez was one of 51 tryout players who took part in the camp, which featured nearly 80 players overall and included the Chiefs’ seven draft picks. Despite the abundance of bodies on the field, however, it appears that Gutierrez stood out.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Gutierrez originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He was later cut by the Broncos prior to the campaign, but Gutierrez went on to appear in one contest (Week 16) for the Las Vegas Raiders as the season progressed.
In a pair of corresponding moves, the Chiefs released rookie offensive tackle Blake Haynes and rookie cornerback Montrae Braswell, who each signed with Kansas City as undrafted free agents last week.
Additionally, the Chiefs signed rookie cornerback Kahleff Hailassie during rookie minicamp, pushing Kansas City’s current total number of undrafted free agent signees to 14. The Chiefs initially announced 16 college free agent signings on Saturday before adding Hailassie to the list (and later waiving Haynes and Braswell).
A six-foot-tall, 193-pound cornerback, Hailassie played at nearby Independence Community College for two seasons (2019-20) before transferring to Western Kentucky for the 2021 campaign. He went on to make the most of his time there, as he started 25 games for Western Kentucky over the last two years and tallied 107 tackles, 16 passes defensed, 11 tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, three sacks and two forced fumbles.
Here’s a bit more on Hailassie from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler:
“He has outstanding length to crowd the catch point but must do a better locating to pick off passes. As a tackler, he stays balanced as a finisher when working from high to low. He plays fearless with a brash attitude. Overall, Hailassie needs to play with more disciplined eyes, but he is long, fluid and controlled in his movements to cover from press or off coverage.”
Now members of the team, Gutierrez and Hailassie will have an opportunity to show what they can do when the Chiefs take the field for the first round of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) during the week of May 22.
