Safety Tyvon Branch was released by the Raiders, which means that he doesn’t have to wait until 4 p.m. to agree to a contract without earning the ire of the league.
Branch didn’t wait. The Chiefs announced that Branch has signed a deal with the team. The Chiefs were one of several teams to host Branch following his release from Oakland.
“We are excited we were able to reach a deal with Tyvon and bring him to Kansas City,” Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said in a statement. “He is a physical player who we feel can help our defense. We’re looking forward to having him.
Branch has played in just five games over the last two years because of a broken foot and fractured fibula, but was a strong run-stopping safety for the Raiders when he was healthy in previous seasons. The Chiefs are without Eric Berry while he fights lymphoma and Ron Parker has been generating a lot of interest as an impending free agent, leaving Branch and Husain Abdullah as the top two safeties for the team at the moment.
Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports that Branch’s arrival doesn’t eliminate the possibility that Parker will return, but the Chiefs may opt to address other needs with a new safety in the fold.