The Kansas City Chiefs moved on from undrafted free agent signing Fabien Lovett Sr. ahead of this season's final roster cuts. The defender spent the 2024 season as a member of Kansas City's practice squad and signed a future/reserve contract heading into the offseason. However, the lineman didn't show the progress that the Chiefs hoped to see from what equated to a lottery ticket signing. Signing an undrafted free agent is a shot in the dark where you're simply hoping to strike gold.
While this wasn't the case in Kansas City, Lovett's career continued with another practice squad deal with the New England Patriots. The defender was released on Sept. 30, before returning this week with the news of the re-signing coming via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Oddly, the Pats opted to bring back the interior lineman now, but it is clear the franchise lacks clear interior pass-rushing threats.
Lovett is still largely an unknown, which provides New England an outside chance to find a surprise contributor. One could argue that this is the exact path the Chiefs should be following with the current struggles in the defensive interior. A concerning lack of depth and regression from current pieces would invite the franchise to explore every possible avenue for extra depth.
Ex-Chiefs DT Fabien Lovett Gets Surprise 2nd-Chance in New England
With that said, the Chiefs already had Lovett on the practice squad for a full season and throughout camp heading into 2025. It does seem very unlikely that the same coaching staff and situation would pull anything else from a limited prospect. Still, there is always hope that the next fit is the right one, given that an undrafted free agent signing is always chasing.
This isn't talked about enough. While early draft picks are afforded patience for undrafted signings to stick, they must instantly be impactful. Very rarely is there any sense of patience or willingness to let the situation develop.
Due to the limited roster spots and importance of investment, there is a sense of urgency that makes it incredibly difficult for undrafted pieces to find a way onto active rosters. With this in mind, Lovett is under incredible pressure to make this opportunity work with the Patriots and find his way into a surprise active roster spot.
The former Chief has a path toward that outcome with the Pats needing interior depth and clearly giving Lovett an opportunity. This makes the defender an easy player to pull for, even if he is suiting up for one of the AFC's top contenders. For Lovett, this is likely a final opportunity to find a way into relevance after failing with the Chiefs and the Patriots the first time around.