Ray Willis, Kansas City Chiefs Lineman, Retires From NFL
Veteran offensive tackle Ray Willis has decided to hang up his NFL cleats for good.
Willis, who was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs in July to fill the void left by Tony Ugoh (who retired five days into training camp), notified the team of his decision to retire on Friday.
A four-year starter at Florida State University, Willis was selected by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft.
In 44 career games (26 starts) with the Seattle Seahawks (2005-09), Willis played both tackle and guard before moving on to the Dolphins where he was quickly cut.
The 30-year old also had short stints with the New Orleans Saint (2011) and New York Jets (May 2012) before signing with the Chiefs.
SB Nation points out that while Willis wasn’t expected to get much playing time with the Chiefs in 2012, his retirement leaves the team thin in the offensive tackle department.
As it stands now, Brandon Albert and Eric Winston are essentially set as the starting tackles with the backup spot led by Donald Stephenson.
Stephenson, a third-round selection for the Chiefs in the 2012 draft, was penalized twice for holding in last week’s preseason opener against Arizona, though one of the penalties was declined.
