According to a report of NFL Network James palmer – an often trusted source for Kansas City Chiefs news from inside One Arrowhead Drive – rookie free-agent defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton is “almost a lock” to make the team’s 53-man roster this Saturday .
I’m told a name that keeps popping up with people inside the #Chiefs building is Tershawn Wharton. The undrafted free agent from Missouri Science and Tech almost seems a lock on making the team’s 53-man roster. Great local history.
– James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 31, 2020
Yes … Tershawn Wharton. If you think you haven’t seen a lot of reports from the Chiefs’ training camp on Wharton impressing coaches or making big plays, you’re right: we haven’t seen them either. But it’s not necessarily means it didn’t happen.
This is almost certainly because of the unique circumstances of the 2020 NFL offseason. Only a handful of beaten reporters have been allowed to observe the Chiefs’ practices due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – and even then, they were required to stand at a place that was marked on the ground for them and follow the guidelines for reporting in closed practice.
As a result, they’ve been forced to base much on the information they can gather by interviewing coaches at Zoom press conferences. The focus of these queries has been largely on what we already knew – for example, that players like Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks face critical moments in their NFL careers, and former first-round pick Taco Charlton has a lot of advantages that have yet to be realized.
That doesn’t leave much room for questions about an unannounced Division II player.
That said, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Wharton – from University City, Missouri – was definitely a stellar defensive end for the Miners during his college career at Rolla. During his junior and senior seasons, he played 21 games, recording 105 tackles (60 solo and 25 for loss), with 15 sacks, five forced fumbles, a pair of defensive passes and a touchdown return.
It’s the kind of resume that can definitely help you build a roster of NFL players. But when it comes to playing in Division II, it can still be a tough hill to climb. Palmer’s report would state that despite the lack of buzz around him during training camp, Wharton climbed it well.
It remains to be seen whether he will actually make the 53 – even Palmer said Wharton was “almost” a lock – but it looks like in the current environment some players like him could be surprise additions to the Chiefs’ final roster this weekend. .
