Nate Orchard has gone from a highly drafted pick of the Cleveland Browns to a featured star on HBO's documentary series "Hard Knocks" to the couch as an unemployed linebacker in the NFL.Now Jarrett Stidham Jersey Draft , he's suiting up for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.Maybe even the Super Bowl favorites.Orchard signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday to shore up their pass rush besieged by injuries. Justin Houston could miss several weeks after hurting his hamstring in last Sunday's win over Jacksonville while Dee Ford and Tanoh Kpassagnon have been dealing with nagging injuries."It was a nice time to be with my family," Orchard said while standing in a mostly empty Chiefs locker room Wednesday, "but I'm very fortunate to be here with the record they have."The Chiefs (5-0) have become the trendy pick to win the AFC after routing the Jaguars last week, and they can validate those hopes with a win Sunday in New England. But winning on the road against Tom Brady and Co. became a lot tougher after the Chiefs' defense sustained a surfeit of injuries last week.Along with their ailing linebackers, the Chiefs had to put right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif on the disabled list with a broken bone in his leg and Armani Watts on the IR with a core muscle injury.The Chiefs signed Frank Zombo, who had spent the past five seasons with Kansas City, when they made those roster moves on Tuesday. They added Orchard to further bolster their depth."Nate had a real good college career. He played for a good friend of mine at Utah," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Utes coach Kyle Whittingham. "(Orchard) knows the system, he's familiar with it Jarrett Stidham NFL Jersey , then he's a good player. A very hard worker. And he's smart."The secondary is in a similar state of shambles.Strong safety Eric Berry remains sidelined with a heel injury that was supposed to keep him out a short period, but has instead sidelined him since early in camp. Daniel Sorensen remains on IR with his broken leg, though he could return in the next few weeks, and Watts has joined him on the list.Their backup, Eric Murray, was held out of practice Wednesday with a lower-leg injury.The Chiefs thought Watts had merely sustained a groin injury against the Jaguars, but trainer Rick Burkholder said an MRI revealed more damage. Watts was headed to Philadelphia for core muscle surgery on Thursday, though he should be ready for the start of practices next season.The fact that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach chose to add pass rushers in Orchard and Zombo and not an extra safety means they likely believe Berry and Sorensen will be able to help soon.Jordan Lucas, who arrived in a trade with Miami just before the season Jarrett Stidham NFL Draft , picked off his first career pass after entering the game against Jacksonville. He's in line to get more snaps alongside Ron Parker, and journeyman safety Josh Shaw could factor into the mix."It's a collective. This defense is no single guy out there being dominant," Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. "It's a collective whole. Everyone making plays, that's what we focus on."That goes for all levels of the defense, including outside linebacker, where Houston's injury and the uncertain status of Kpassagnon could mean a crucial opportunity for Breeland Speaks.The Chiefs' second-round pick has been active for all five games, but he has mostly been used on special teams and to give the starters a breather. Now, the former Ole Miss star could be counted upon to put some pressure on Brady and cover the Patriots' pass-catching running backs."I look for Breeland to keep progressing all around," Jones said. "He's got a veteran in Justin Houston in the room. Dee's in the room. Those guys he can learn from."As battered as the Chiefs defense is right now Jarrett Stidham Buffalo Bills Jersey , he'd better learn in a hurry.Notes: Burkholder said Duvernay-Tardif's injury was also more severe than first believed in that the offensive lineman tore ligaments in the ankle along with breaking his fibula. Duvernay-Tardif is scheduled to have surgery Monday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "We'll know more after the surgery how much he'll miss," Burkholder said. ... Reid confirmed that Jordan Devey is likely to start in Duvernay-Tardif's place. "He has experience," Reid said. "Everybody is confident in him that he can step up and go." The position just lost its premier player."Earlier today, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL — a decision that ends one of the greatest careers in league history, and leaves the reigning world champions with a gigantic hole to fill. After all, Gronkowski was one of the league’s toughest matchups and outstanding as a receiver and a blocker; a pure tight end elite in every aspect of playing the position.Naturally, the Patriots will not be able to replace the 29-year-old one-for-one. Instead, it will likely take a group effort to do that and a look at the current tight end group shows that the team and its coaching staff has its work cut out for it:New England currently has four tight ends on its roster Color Rush Byron Cowart Jersey , and they combine for 76 games of experience — for comparison, Gronkowski ends his career having appeared in 131 NFL contests. Experience, however, is possibly the least of the problems when it comes to a group that is now without its premier pass catcher and blocker.Jacob Hollister and Stephen Anderson are expected to help fill the former of the two roles: both are better suited as receivers and have some decent albeit unspectacular production on their respective r茅sum茅s. Hollister, who joined the Patriots in 2017 as an undrafted rookie free agent, has caught nine passes for 94 yards in his career. Anderson, on the other hand, has caught 36 passes for 435 yards and two touchdowns while he was still with the Houston Texans in 2016 and 2017.Free agency acquisition Matt LaCosse and 2018 seventh-round draft pick Ryan Izzo, on the other hand Youth Byron Cowart Jersey , are projected to help fill the void of Gronkowski’s outstanding blocking. LaCosse, who was stuck near the bottom of the depth chart with both the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos, is the favorite to win the role while Izzo is a wild card: he has the frame to be successful as a blocking tight end but has yet to prove his value.Of course, the Patriots can and likely will invest in a tight end during the draft. Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson is the player most resembling Gronkowski as an all-around tight end, while his college teammate Noah Fant is more of a receiver but brings tremendous athletic upside to the table. Both would be first-round options, with Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. and Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger possible round-two targets.