HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (May 22, 2007) -- The New York Jets bolstered their defensive line by signing defensive end Eric Hicks, a free agent who spent his first nine seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Keyonta Marshall, a defensive tackle on the practice squad, was released.
Hicks, who will turn 31 next month, ranks fifth on the Chiefs' career sacks list with 40 1/2, including a career-high 14 in 2000.
The Jets have been busy renovating their defensive line this offseason, signing defensive ends David Bowens, Kenyon Coleman, Andre Wadsworth and Michael Haynes.
Kansas City released Hicks on May 1, three days after taking defensive lineman Claude "Turk" McBride in the second round of the NFL draft. Hicks, who made the Chiefs roster as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 1998, became a full-time starter in 1999. But his role diminished in recent years with the emergence of Jared Allen and Tamba Hali. Hicks had only seven tackles, two solo, in 16 games last season.
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