De’Anthony Thomas and Spencer Ware have survived the Chiefs’ roster cuts as the final cut-down has been announced.
The Chiefs have announced their full roster cuts, albeit somewhat late as they announced them almost 40 minutes after the NFL-mandated deadline. Two interesting names that made the final 53 are Spencer Ware and De’Anthony Thomas.
Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs’ athletic trainer, was the one who announced that Ware and Thomas had both made the 53-man roster.
While most Chiefs fans were rather wary of Thomas’ return to the Chiefs, it appears that he’s done enough to earn the nod from the coaching staff.
Congratulations to @DATBLACKMOMBA13, @spenceware11 and my entire staff not only from coming back from tough injuries but making our 53 today. Quite an accomplishment. #hardwork #persistentrehab.
— Rick Burkholder (@proatc) September 1, 2018
Thomas will likely be used as the Chiefs’ return specialist. With the surplus of options the Chiefs have at wide receiver, the fact that they are bringing Thomas back shows confidence in the former fourth round pick. I definitely look forward to seeing what he can do as a return specialist, and even in some offensive sets for the Chiefs in certain situations.
Following the first of many injuries to Jamaal Charles, Ware stepped up to the plate and rushed for 403 yards on 72 carries. The following season, he tallied 921 rushing yards on 214 attempts as the Chiefs’ feature back, which was the most of his career.
Ware looked great heading into the 2017 season, hoping to build upon the first year as a featured back. Instead he suffered a season-ending knee injury and landed on injured reserve with a lengthy road of recovery ahead of him. After a long year of rehab, however, it appears all of his hard work had paid off.
Ware may have only had one major season for the Chiefs, but his on-field performance was enough to turn heads as a two-way threat out of the backfield. For fans, it’s refreshing to see Ware on the roster, and hopefully he’s able to fill that backup role nicely for Kareem Hunt. With Ware, Damien Williams and Darrel Williams making the 53, the Chiefs’ running back corps could quite possibly be the best in the NFL.
Both players have proven that hard work does indeed pay off. Both Ware and Thomas faced uncertain futures with the Chiefs but now they can rest—or at least feel secure that they’ve made the active roster. They put in the time and hard work and the team has rewarded them with roster spots for the coming season.