KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One day after trading Tyreek Hill to Miami for five draft picks, the Kansas City Chiefs announced four new signings Thursday.
Kansas City formally signed wide receiver Corey Coleman, a former first-round pick, along with offensive tackle Geron Christian, defensive back Luq Barcoo and linebacker Elijah Lee, a Blue Springs High School graduate and former Kansas State University star, according to Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen.
The Chiefs made four new signings official today:
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) March 24, 2022
WR Corey Coleman (No. 15 overall in 2016)
OT Geron Christian (8 starts at LT for Houston in 2021)
DB Luq Barcoo (23-year-old former SDSU star)
LB Elijah Lee (former K-Stater + Browns' defender and core special teamer) pic.twitter.com/srr8buwDxC
Lee, 26, has appeared in 66 games, primarily as a special teams player, during a five-year NFL career. He’s made 99 tackles with two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four tackles for a loss since entering the league as a seventh-round pick by Minnesota in 2017.
Despite being drafted, Lee never played for the Vikings, but latched on with San Francisco after he was cut late in training camp.
Lee spent three seasons with the 49ers, playing at least 65% of the special-teams snaps each season and starting five games at linebacker in 2018.
He started the 2020 season with Detroit and finished it with Cleveland, where he appeared in 24 games during the last two seasons.
Lee played 85% of the Browns’ special-teams snaps last season.
Coleman, 27, is trying to resurrect his career with Kansas City.
Originally selected No. 15 overall by Cleveland in the 2016 NFL Draft, Coleman only lasted two seasons with the Browns.
Playing 10 games as a rookie from Baylor University, he caught only 33 of 73 targets for 413 yards with three touchdowns.
Coleman appeared in only nine games in 2017, catching 23 of 58 targets for 305 yards with two touchdowns before he was traded during training camp in 2018 for a seventh-round pick.
He lasted less than a month with Buffalo after the trade before being signed and released by New England and ultimately landing with the New York Giants for eight games in 2018.
Coleman made five catches for 71 yards, playing roughly one-quarter of the Giants’ offensive snaps that season — the last he’s appeared in the NFL.
He re-signed with New York for 2019, but missed the season with a torn ACL suffered in training camp.
Coleman again re-signed with the Giants in 2020, though he was released and bounced around the practice squad, before being suspended for the first six games of the 2021 season for allegedly violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
During his time in Cleveland, Coleman was teammates with Chiefs wide receiver Josh Gordon.
Christian, 25, who started eight games at left tackle in 2021 for Houston, provides insurance if Lucas Niang’s recovery from a knee injury stalls along with Andrew Wylie, who the club re-signed for depth.
Christian, who originally entered the league as a third-round pick by Washington out of Louisville in 2018, projects as the Chiefs’ swing tackle if he doesn’t win the job at right tackle during training camp.
He appeared in 24 games, including eight starts, over three seasons in Washington before appearing in 14 games, including another eight starts, with the Texans last season.
Barcoo, 23, who went undrafted in 2020 out of San Diego State, appeared in three games as a rookie after signing with Jacksonville.
He recorded 10 tackles, including one for a loss, with a pass defended in limited action before spending last season with the practice squads in Arizona and San Francisco.
