Chiefs Trim Roster To 53
Moving on from wideouts Kadarius Toney and Justyn Ross, the Chiefs are down to 53. Here is how the two-time defending champs got there:
Released:
- S Deon Bush
- LB Cole Christiansen
- DT Matt Dickerson
- TE Irv Smith Jr.
Waived:
- RB Emani Bailey
- LB Swayze Bozeman
- TE Baylor Cupp
- DT Neil Farrell
- T Chukwuebuka Godrick
- CB Kamal Hadden
- RB Keaontay Ingram
- LB Curtis Jacobs
- DE Truman Jones
- DT Fabian Lovett
- CB D.J. Miller
- T Lucas Niang
- QB Chris Oladokun
- WR Cornell Powell
- RB Deneric Prince
- RB Louis Rees-Zammit
- WR Nikko Remigio
- CB Keith Taylor
- WR Montrell Washington
Drafted in the 2020 third round with a path toward becoming the Chiefs’ starting right tackle, Niang has been unable to stay healthy. Niang’s contract tolled after he opted out of the 2020 season, and while he did start nine games during the ’21 campaign, the team has been unable to count on the TCU alum. Niang suffered a torn patellar tendon late in the 2021 slate and missed most of the ’22 season. Andrew Wylie took over at RT, and the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to a $20MM-per-year deal in 2023.
The team traded for Cowboys tight end Peyton Hendershot earlier today, having done so months after drafting TCU’s Jared Wiley in Round 4. This will lead Smith off the roster. A second-generation NFL tight end, Smith has 21 starts on his resume but has also dealt with significant injury trouble.
Many of these players will end up on Kansas City’s practice squad, which can house up to six vested veterans. Waived players can begin joining teams’ P-squads — if they go unclaimed, that is — beginning at 11am CT on Wednesday.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/21/24
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.
Denver Broncos
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Tyler Badie, WR Michael Bandy, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Phillip Dorsett (story), CB Art Green, OLB Marcus Haynes, T Demontrey Jacobs, S Devon Key, DL PJ Mustipher, DT Haggai Chisom Ndubusi, G William Sherman, WR David Sills
Kansas City Chiefs
Claimed:
- DB Darius Rush
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe, S Deon Bush, TE Matt Bushman, LB Cole Christiansen, DT Matt Dickerson, T Chukwuebuka Godrick, DE Truman Jones, T Darrian Kinnard, QB Chris Oladokun, RB La’Mical Perine, WR Cornell Powell, RB Deneric Prince, C Austin Reiter, DT Danny Shelton, CB Reese Taylor, DT Chris Williams
Las Vegas Raiders
Placed on IR:
- WR Chris Lacy
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- DE David Agoha, DL Matthew Butler, G McClendon Curtis, TE Cole Fotheringham, S Jaydon Grant, CB Tyler Hall, LB Kana’i Mauga, RB Sincere McCormick, G Netane Muti, DE Isaac Rochell, WR Devin Ross, TE John Samuel Shenker, CB Sam Webb, WR Antoine Wesley
Los Angeles Chargers
Claimed:
- LB Tanner Muse
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- OLB Brevin Allen, T Zack Bailey, WR Terrell Bynum, DL Jerrod Clark, DL Christian Covington, WR Keelan Doss, QB Max Duggan, OLB Andrew Farmer, CB Matt Hankins, TE Hunter Kampmoyer, DL C.J. Okoye, OL Austen Pleasants
Reverted to IR:
- WR Darrius Shepherd, CB Amechi Uzodinma, LB Blake Lynch, WR Milton Wright
Released from IR via injury settlement:
Chiefs Place DT Chris Jones On Reserve/Did Not Report List, Set 53-Man Roster
The Chiefs’ 53-man roster does not include Chris Jones, who continues to stage a rare 2020s holdout. Here is how the defending Super Bowl champions moved down to 53:
Released:
- TE Kendall Blanton
- DB Deon Bush
- C Austin Reiter
- DT Danny Shelton
Waived:
- DB Dicaprio Bootle
- DB Ekow Boye-Doe
- QB Shane Buchele
- TE Matt Bushman
- LB Cole Christiansen
- DB Anthony Cook
- RB Jerrion Ealy
- WR Ty Fryfogle
- WR Izaiah Gathings
- T Godrick Chukwuebuka
- WR Juwan Green
- T Sebastian Gutierrez
- DB Kahlef Hailassie
- T Anderson Hardy
- DT Phil Hoskins
- DB Lamar Jackson
- DE Truman Jones
- DE Joshua Kaindoh
- T Darian Kinnard
- DB Duron Lowe
- DB Isaiah Norman
- QB Chris Oladokun
- RB La’Mical Perine
- WR Cornell Powell
- RB Deneric Prince
- WR Ty Scott
- DB Reese Taylor
- DT Chris Williams
- DE Daniel Wise
Waived/injured:
- G Jerome Carvin
- LB Olakunle Fatukasi
- WR Nikko Remigio
Reserve/did not report:
- DT Chris Jones
Seeking a contract in the Aaron Donald range, Jones has seen the Chiefs push for a deal more in line with the recently established second tier of the defensive tackle market. Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams all signed for between $22.5MM and $24MM per year, but Jones has been resolute as he stays away. The Chiefs are unable to waive the $50K-per-day fines Jones has incurred, separating this from Nick Bosa‘s holdout. On a rookie contract, Bosa’s fines can be waived. Jones has lost more than $1.5MM already but has hinted at a holdout extending into the regular season.
The Chiefs have parted ways with a number of defensive regulars in recent years, moving on from the likes of Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark. The team has prioritized Jones in the past, franchise-tagging him and reaching an extension in 2020. Jones, 28, will count on the Chiefs folding, as their pass rush will obviously take a hit without him. But as we move close to the regular season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the sides are not close on terms.
It still seems difficult to envision Jones missing out on game checks, but this process has already gone on far longer than expected. The Chiefs have, however, come out against trading the All-Pro D-tackle. Regarding another well-known Chief, Reiter is considered likely to end up on the team’s practice squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/15/23
Here are Wednesday’s reserve/futures contracts:
Kansas City Chiefs
- TE Kendall Blanton, CB Dicaprio Bootle, TE Matt Bushman, G Mike Caliendo, LB Cole Christiansen, RB Jerrion Ealy, QB Chris Oladokun, RB La’Mical Perine, WR Cornell Powell, C Austin Reiter, DT Danny Shelton, WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Philadelphia Eagles
- WR Devon Allen, WR Tyrie Cleveland, CB Mario Goodrich, DE Tarron Jackson, G Fred Johnson, T Roderick Johnson, DE Matt Leo, G Sua Opeta, LB Davion Taylor
The Chiefs will likely enter into extension talks with Creed Humphrey when the Pro Bowler becomes eligible in 2024, but they are also retaining their Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LV center starter. Reiter, 31, played for the Dolphins in 2021 but did not see any action for the Chiefs this season. The Chiefs cut Shelton after training camp but kept the veteran defensive tackle around on their practice squad. Shelton, 29, played in one game for the Super Bowl champions this season and will be set to collect a second Super Bowl ring; his first came in 2018 with the Patriots.
Allen, 28, put his track and field career on pause to attempt a football comeback, and the two-time Olympic 110-meter hurdle finalist resided on the Eagles’ practice squad all season. While the Paris Games are not until 2024, Allen ran 2022’s top 110 hurdle time (12.84 seconds) — which doubled as the third-fastest time in history — and will be on the radar to claim his first world championship in the event. This year’s World Track and Field Championships are slated for Aug. 19-27 in Budapest, so it will be interesting to see if Allen puts track aside for the time being or if the Eagles greenlight dual participation. The Bears did so for long jumper/wide receiver Marquise Goodwin in 2021, but that was for an Olympic Trials competition that did not conflict with training camp.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/3/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: G Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB John Reid
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Tarik Black
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Kameron Canaday
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Austin Allen, K Matt Ammendola
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Sheldrick Redwine
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Jerrion Ealy
- Placed on IR: WR Cornell Powell
New York Giants
- Signed: WR David Sills
- Released: DT Jack Heflin
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: QB Jacob Eason
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Chris Steele, WR Connor Wedington
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Curtis Brooks, CB Shyheim Carter, LB Sam Okuayinonu
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/22
Here are the league’s minor transactions leading into the Sunday-slate of Week 13 games:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Quinton Bell, C Jonotthan Harrison
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: WR Binjimen Victor
- Promoted from practice squad: WR DeSean Jackson, S Ar’Darius Washington
- Placed on IR: WR Tylan Wallace
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: P Drue Chrisman
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: S Mike Brown
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: T Aviante Collins
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Micah Abernathy, RB Patrick Taylor
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Jacobi Francis
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Forrest Rhyne
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: S Zayne Anderson, WR Cornell Powell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Kyle Peko
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: T Zack Bailey
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: OLB Keir Thomas, WR Austin Trammell
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Malcolm Brown, DE T.J. Carter
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: OL James Empey, T Kendall Lamm
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: LB William Kwenkeu
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: RB Elijah Mitchell (story)
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Vi Jones, WR Laquon Treadwell
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: OLB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Julius Chestnut, CB Davontae Harris
- Waived: K Caleb Shudak
Washington Commanders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Alex Erickson
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/22
The league’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations for Week 12:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: WR Marquise Brown (story)
- Signed to active roster: WR Andre Baccellia
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Pharoh Cooper, TE Maxx Williams
- Placed on IR: TE Zach Ertz (story), T D.J. Humphries (story)
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: C Jonotthan Harrison
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: CB Daryl Worley
- Promoted from practice squad: WR DeSean Jackson, LB Julian Stanford
- Placed on IR: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB T.J. Carrie, DE Kobe Jones
Chicago Bears
- Signed to active roster: RB Darrynton Evans
- Promoted from practice squad: LB DeMarquis Gates
- Waived: CB Lamar Jackson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: P Drue Chrisman, WR Kwamie Lassiter II
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Jermaine Carter
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Brandon Johnson, CB Faion Hicks
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Innis Gaines, RB Patrick Taylor
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Jacobi Francis, CB Will Redmond
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Zayne Anderson, WR Cornell Powell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tyler Hall, DT Kyle Peko
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: RB Joshua Kelley
- Signed to active roster: T Foster Sarell
- Promoted from practice squad: S Raheem Layne
- Waived: OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, RB Larry Rountree III
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: T AJ Arcuri, RB Ronnie Rivers
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Roger Carter, G Jeremiah Kolone
- Placed on IR: DT A’Shawn Robinson (story)
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: T Max Mitchell
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chazz Surratt, DL Tanzel Smart
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: DL T.Y. McGill
- Waived: DL Kemoko Turay
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Laquon Treadwell, LB Vi Jones
- Placed on IR: WR D’Wayne Eskridge (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from PUP: K Caleb Shudak
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Greg Mabin, LB Andre Smith
Washington Commanders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Alex Erickson
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/22
The league’s minor moves leading up to gameday:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: RB Corey Clement
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Ryan Neuzil, WR Frank Darby
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Daryl Worley
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Tanner Gentry, CB Xavier Rhodes
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Darrynton Evans
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: G Dakoda Shepley
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Stanley Berryhill
- Waived: S JuJu Hughes
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: Michael Dwumfour
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Jacobi Francis, DB Will Redmond
- Waived: DL Jaleel Johnson
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Kameron Cline, TE Nikola Kalinic
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Marcus Kemp, WR Cornell Powell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tyler Hall
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from NFI: TE Stone Smartt
- Signed to active roster: DL Joe Gaziano
- Promoted from practice squad: K Cameron Dicker, T Foster Sarell
- Waived: WR Keelan Doss
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: WR Jacob Harris
- Promoted from practice squad: T AJ Arcuri, G Jeremiah Kolone
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: TE Nick Muse
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tay Gowan
- Waived: OLB Benton Whitley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: G Yasir Durant, DB Bryce Thompson
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Jabari Zuniga
- Waived: TE J.P. Holtz, Nick Vannett
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Lawrence Cager
New York Jets
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Tanzel Smart, OL Conor McDermott
Washington Commanders
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Nathan Gerry
- Placed on IR: TE Armani Rogers
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Denver Broncos
Re-signed:
- NT Mike Purcell, TE Eric Tomlinson
Signed to practice squad:
- DL McTelvin Agim, OL Quinn Bailey, CB Faion Hicks, WR Kendall Hinton, QB Josh Johnson, OLB Jonathan Kongbo, LB Kana’i Mauga, CB Ja’Quan McMillian, G Netane Muti, RB Devine Ozigbo, TE Dylan Parham, WR Darrius Shepherd
Kansas City Chiefs
Signed to practice squad:
- DB Zayne Anderson, G Mike Caliendo, LB Jack Cochrane, RB Jerrion Ealy, WR Daurice Fountain, TE Jordan Franks, S Nazeeh Johnson, DE Azur Kamara, LB Elijah Lee, QB Chris Oladokun, WR Cornell Powell, C Austin Reiter, DT Danny Shelton, DT Taylor Stallworth
Las Vegas Raiders
Released from IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Curtis Bolton, CB Isiah Brown, CB Bryce Cosby, S Matthias Farley, TE Cole Fotheringham, QB Chase Garbers, C Hroniss Grasu, G Jordan Meredith, OT Bamidele Olaseni, WR Dillon Stoner, DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, DE Zach VanValkenburg, RB Austin Walter, WR Isaiah Zuber
Los Angeles Chargers
Signed:
- RB Sony Michel (story)
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- T Zack Bailey, WR Michael Bandy, DL Christian Covington, DL Joe Gaziano, CB Kemon Hall, CB Michael Jacquet, TE Hunter Kampoyer, OLB Carlo Kemp, S Raheem Layne, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams, WR Jason Moore Jr., WR Joe Reed, T Foster Sarell, DB Mark Webb Jr.