ChiefsPlanet - MERRILL: Cornerback Ambrose agrees to deal

Cornerback Ambrose agrees to deal

Chiefs now seem unlikely to sign free agent Law

By ELIZABETH MERRILL The Kansas City Star

He’s 34 and far removed from the buzz of sports radio, but Ashley Ambrose won a unanimous vote last week when he worked out in Kansas City. And that was good enough for the Chiefs.

Ambrose agreed to terms of a one-year contract Friday, filling a much-needed hole in the secondary and seemingly ending any chance of the Chiefs acquiring pricey free agent Ty Law.

Asked late Friday whether the Ambrose deal meant Law was out of the picture, coach Dick Vermeil said, “I can’t answer that. I don’t know. I would imagine, but I don’t know.

“I think you’re always smart enough not to write it off (and) then you just keep doing your due diligence.”

Ambrose was one of four free-agent cornerbacks to visit the Chiefs after Julian Battle suffered a torn Achilles’ heel last month during minicamp. Battle had just been elevated to the first-team defense in anticipation that Eric Warfield would receive some kind of suspension from the NFL for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

Warfield’s fate still isn’t known, and Vermeil said the Chiefs signed Ambrose for security. A 5-foot-10, 185-pounder, Ambrose has been a dependable corner for 13 years, logging 141 starts and 42 interceptions. He had three picks for New Orleans last year despite missing a chunk of the season because of a sore knee. He made it to the Pro Bowl in 1996 with the Bengals.

Ambrose becomes the fifth offseason defensive acquisition for the Chiefs, who are running short on cap money. Much like recent addition Freddie Mitchell, it is believed that Ambrose agreed to a deal near the veteran minimum.

“We’re pleased to get him because we brought the four guys in, and he was the unanimous decision during evaluations,” Vermeil said. “We liked his workout the best, and we liked what we saw on his game tape the best.

“The competition was intense, but he just seemed to have a lot left in him. He had a good attitude, his recommendations were good, and we thought heck, we’ll give him a chance.”

Also Friday, the Chiefs reached a contract agreement with seventh-round draft pick Jeremy Parquet. A 6-foot-6, 321-pound offensive tackle from Southern Mississippi, Parquet is the first 2005 draft choice to agree to terms with the club.