Kansas City Chiefs make cuts to set initial 53-man roster
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s time for the Kansas City Chiefs to make some big decisions.
After weeks of offseason practices, training camp and preseason games, the Chiefs have cut their 90-man roster down to just 53 players.
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The cuts came before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline, marking the 2023 NFL regular season. Unlike last year where cuts happened in waves, this was the only cut deadline.
After the final preseason game, coach Andy Reid said this is the toughest day.
“These guys have busted their tails through all the OTAs and then through the training camp, so then you got – they all can’t be here unfortunately,” he said Saturday.
For Chiefs Kingdom, one of the biggest moves might be seeing quarterback Shane Buechele waived, but he could join the Chiefs’ practice squad as he has in years past.
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The former undrafted free agent went back and forth with Blaine Gabbert this preseason, vying to be Patrick Mahomes’ backup. Buechele saw plenty of work with the No. 2 offense, and Reid previously said the competition was too close to call.
The Chiefs’ first regular season game is set for Thursday, Sept. 7 vs the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium. See the team’s current roster here.
Roster cuts
Here are all the players the Chiefs cut to get to their initial 53-man roster.
Released:
Kendall Blanton (tight end – Missouri)
Deon Bush (defensive back – Miami)
Austin Reiter (center – South Florida)
Danny Shelton (nose tackle – Washington)
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Waived:
Dicaprio Bootle (defensive back – Nebraska)
Ekow Boye-Doe (defensive back – Kansas State)
Shane Buechele (quarterback – Southern Methodist)
Matt Bushman (tight end – Brigham Young)
Cole Christiansen (linebacker – Army)
Anthony Cook (defensive back – Texas)
Jerrion Ealy (running back – Mississippi)
Ty Fryfogle (wide receiver – Indiana)
Izaiah Gathings (wide receiver- Middle Tennessee)
Chukwuebuka Godrick (tackle – No College)
Juwan Green (wide receiver – Albany, N.Y.)
Sebastian Gutierrez (tackle – Minot State)
Kahlef Hailassie (defensive back – Western Kentucky)
Anderson Hardy (tackle – Appalachian State)
Phil Hoskins (defensive tackle – Kentucky)
Lamar Jackson (defensive back – Nebraska)
Truman Jones (defensive end – Harvard)
Joshua Kaindoh (defensive end – Florida State)
Darian Kinnard (tackle – Kentucky)
Duron Lowe (defensive back – Liberty)
Isaiah Norman (defensive back – Marshall)
Chris Oladokun (quarterback – South Dakota State)
La’Mical Perine (running back – Florida)
Cornell Powell (wide receiver – Clemson)
Deneric Prince (running back – Tulsa)
Ty Scott (wide receiver – Missouri State)
Reese Taylor (defensive back – Purdue)
Chris Williams (defensive tackle – Wagner)
Daniel Wise (defensive end – Kansas)
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Waived, injured:
Jerome Carvin (guard – Tennessee)
Olakunle Fatukasi (linebacker – Rutgers)
Nikko Remigio (wide receiver – Fresno State)
Waived vs released
When a player is cut, they’re either waived or released.
A player with at least four seasons is released, meaning they’re a free agent who can sign anywhere immediately.
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A player with less than four seasons of experience is waived, meaning they go on the waiver wire with their contract still in place. If no one claims that player in a certain time, the contract is terminated and he becomes a free agent.
Practice squad
While many players will be cut from the Chiefs active roster, that doesn’t mean their time with Kansas City is over. The Chiefs can also sign 16 players to their practice squad.
Players who don’t make the Chiefs’ active roster can also sign to another NFL team or to another team’s practice squad.
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The practice squad is made up of any number of players who have not accrued at least nine games in an NFL season. The squad can also include up to four players who have accrued no more than two NFL seasons and up to six players with no limitations on experience.
FOX4 will update here with players the Chiefs sign to their practice squad.
Other Chiefs moves
Two of the Chiefs’ first moves on deadline day were actually trades.
Kansas City traded receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette to the Carolina Panthers. As part of the trade, the Chiefs and Panthers will swap their conditional 2025 seventh-round draft picks.
After Saturday’s preseason win where Smith-Marsette had 101 receiving yards and a touchdown, he was hopeful he’d land with the Chiefs or another team.
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“I feel like I made it hard for them,” Smith-Marsette said Saturday. “The other 31 teams, they get to see what I did [Saturday] and last week. I definitely feel like I proved myself just a little bit.”
But the Chiefs’ crowded receiver room likely made a spot on the roster difficult.
Later Tuesday, the Chiefs made another trade, this time with their AFC West rivals.
Kansas City then acquired defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. Last season, Farrell recorded 12 tackles and a tackle for loss in nine games.
