Chiefs rumors: Who will be Kansas City’s surprise cuts in 2017?
Phillip Gaines, cornerback
When looking at the full 90-man roster at this point, the most competitive area seems to be the secondary. Not only have the Chiefs invested heavily in the draft over the last few years but they have locked in starters for four of the slots: Eric Berry, Ron Parker, Dan Sorensen (given how often the Chiefs are in subpackages, he’s actually more of a starter than any LB2) and Marcus Peters.
It’s no secret that Phillip Gaines has yet to live up to the potential displayed during his rookie season and the investment made of a third round pick by John Dorsey. Therein lies the reasons as to why Gaines could be the odd man out. Despite the high potential, injuries and inconsistency have moved him down the depth chart. Gaines has a single interception in his three-year career, which includes 13 starts in 27 games. Now that Dorsey is gone, new general manager Brett Veach could decide to move on.
The competition heats up even more when you realize the number of talented players making a play for the bottom of the depth chart. D.J. White was last year’s sixth round pick who flashed, while Dorsey added Leon McQuay from USC in the same round this year. Ashton Lampkin and Jordan Sterns were teammates at Oklahoma State who were signed as undrafted free agents and both have the skills to make the final roster. Eric Murray isn’t going anywhere and veterans like Steven Terrell, DeVante Bausby and Kenneth Acker all have cases to make to Veach as well.
Gaines certainly has the ceiling to make a play for the starting cornerback spot opposite Peters on the outside, so everything depends on what happens there. Steven Nelson is another lock who isn’t too small to play outside if asked (despite notions to the contrary), and Terrance Mitchell held down the spot at year’s end. If Gaines can’t supplant one of those two, it makes sense to move on and allow some younger players to enter the picture with more reps at a cheaper price who will be here for the next few seasons, especially given his impending free agency in 2018. [Matt Conner]