C.J. Spiller experiment fails to work out for Chiefs

The C.J. Spiller experiment has come to an end for the Kansas City Chiefs after a promising offseason in which he’d returned to form.

The early buzz was all positive: C.J. Spiller had found the fountain of youth. Every offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs usually features a reclamation project or two—even this year, former general manager John Dorsey also tried to turn around tight end Gavin Escobar and cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste—and Spiller seemed like he was going to reward Dorsey’s trust in him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards when the final rosters were due, because Spiller is rumored to be among the Chiefs many cuts to get down to only 53 players.

Spiller was one of the very first players signed by the Chiefs this offseason, a precursor to letting Jamaal Charles walk on the open market. Spiller not only lasted the entire spring, longer than many so-called experiments, but he made his presence felt throughout the entire spring and summer. Dorsey praised him saying he looked as good as he did when he was younger and highly productive and given the recent season-ending injury to Spencer Ware, Spiller then seemed like a lock for the final roster.

Now Spiller will hit waivers and be able to be claimed by everyone else. Perhaps the Chiefs now have their sights set on another free agent back (maybe Matt Jones?) or they could even re-sign Spiller after Week 1 in order to keep the contract from being fully guaranteed.

For his career, Spiller has 710 carries for 3,451 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.