Kansas City Chiefs sign wide receiver from Blue Springs, waive lineman Martinas Rankin

The Chiefs tweaked their roster at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp. And that piece of fine-tuning is bringing home a Kansas City-area native.

The Chiefs waived offensive lineman Martinas Rankin Thursday and signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, according to the team’s official website.

Shepherd’s signing comes after a successful tryout during the Chiefs’ three-day minicamp. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound wideout played at Blue Springs High and then at North Dakota State.

He entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers. In 2019-20 in Green Bay, Shepherd appeared in 14 games, totaling six catches for 47 yards. He also contributed on special teams as a return man, averaging 18.7 return yards on 20 attempts.

Shepherd was waived by the Packers in December.

The 6-foot-5, 311-pound Rankin, meanwhile, joined the Chiefs in August 2019 via a trade with the Houston Texans.

A versatile offensive lineman, Rankin appeared in six games with five starts in his first year with KC before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 10. He started the 2020 season on the NFL’s physically unable to perform (PUP) list while continuing to recover.

He was activated to the Chiefs’ active roster in November. But Rankin appeared in just one game during the 2020 regular season. He also wasn’t on the practice field during the first two days of minicamp this week.

The Chiefs are now officially on a break until they report for training camp in late July.