Kansas City Chiefs roster cuts: David Amerson, Ukeme Eligwe among players released
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs announced their roster cuts on Friday with some surprises mixed in on a dreary day for many at Arrowhead.
It comes every year, but there’s no way around the frustrating news that so many players have been relieved from their job as professional football players. The Kansas City Chiefs were forced to tell nearly 40 guys that they were no longer needed after they’d endured grueling practices and played through pain for the sake of fulfilling their NFL dream.
The Chiefs made roster cuts down to 53 men on Friday to meet the NFL’s deadline that forces each franchise to pare down the total from 90 overall. You can keep up with former Chiefs who have been cut as well here.
There are a number of surprises among the players the Chiefs chose to keep as well as to release, but every year brings about such surprises. There are also likely a few roster moves still to go as other teams release players and the Chiefs continue to churn over the bottom of the depth chart at some positions.
Here’s an updated and ongoing list of all player cuts announced by the team:
This one is a bigger surprise than most because Amaro looked like he might have a solid hold on the third tight end position. Given his journeyman status, it’s likely this was his last best chance to grab on somewhere for the long-term.
Total bust. The Chiefs attempted to find a nice bounce back candidate after David Amerson was released by the Raiders. They struck early, even before free agency started, with an incentive loaded one-year deal, but even that turned out to be way too much money as Amerson struggled in every opportunity during preseason games with K.C.
Daniel Braverman, wide receiver
Daniel Braverman faced perhaps the biggest hill to climb with the Chiefs this offseason as a wide receiver stuck on the deepest part of the team. Braverman faced significant competition even from undrafted free agents as others like Gehrig Dieter, Bryon Pringle and Marcus Kemp were bottlenecked as well.
The team’s second fullback… yeah, this needs no explanation.
Stefan Charles, defensive line
Charles was simply unable to stand out on a defensive line that’s added more talent in this offseason than it has in a long time, especially with Derrick Nnadi in the draft and Xavier Williams in free agency.
Chesson’s release is a real shock for the Chiefs given that they just traded up in the 2017 draft for the Michigan receiver. It’s possible he could be a practice squad player, but this is likely a solid bet for another team to claim.
On a team that rotated offensive linemen left and right to help them get noticed and increase their versatility, Cooper was a name that you rarely heard around the team.
Crockett was another longshot given the competition at wideout and the fact that he’s out of Central Oklahoma. He’s certainly an exciting small-school prospect but he wasn’t going to make the leap this year, at least not with this active roster.
Ray Davison showed flashes of potential with solid plays on the ball from time to time this spring and summer, but the Chiefs are fairly loaded at linebacker both outside and in. Perhaps he can latch on as a practice squad player.
Dieter showed off some nice chemistry at times with Patrick Mahomes and spent all of last year with the team as well. If he can’t make the leap at this point, he might have a hard time sticking. Then again maybe the ‘Bama product lands on the PS for a second year in a row.
Mackinton Dorleant, cornerback
Mackinton Dorleant was a sparkplug in the secondary and even returned a pick-six in the team’s final preseason game. It’s surprising that he couldn’t impress a bit more and make a name for himself when Chiefs coaches were practically begging for someone to take hold of real playing time.
Durham dealt with slight injuries during training camp, but mostly just failed to make his presence felt among his peers in the secondary.
The Chiefs have to be a bit sad to see Eligwe potentially catch on with another team given his special teams experience and very good athleticism, but the former fifth round pick just couldn’t stave off the competition provided by undrafted standouts Terrance Smith and Ben Niemann, as it looks now.
The Chiefs saw flashes of solid pass rushing potential from Holmes as well as guys like Rob McCray but the team has heavy investments at outside linebacker already which makes it tough for a undrafted player to break through. Perhaps a year on the practice squad would help if K.C. moves on from Dee Ford after this season.
The Canadian import didn’t last as long as expected with the Chiefs, but the practice squad could await the versatile Ontario native. He played left tackle at Bowling Green and was named the top Canadian Football League prospect earlier this spring. The Chiefs showed up time at guard as well and a year learning the ropes could work wonders over the long-term.
Lawry signed very recently after trying out for the team as a former rushing star at Old Dominion. It was surprising the Chiefs even signed another running back and kept one but Lawry impressed enough to keep him around even after injuries in the backfield had healed up. He might sneak onto the PS if he’s been looking that good in practices.
Dee Liner is learning to live up to his name, but apparently he needs more time as the Chiefs reportedly have let him go but want him to return as a practice squad player. The large lineman showed some promise throughout the offseason and could be interesting as a developmental player down the road.
Litton has made a lot of quick fans in Kansas City as the team’s only developmental quarterback now that Patrick Mahomes is the de facto starter. He certainly makes more sense to keep in house than Matt McGloin as QB3, but tell that to Andy Reid and company as the Chiefs clearly think differently. They know better, of course, but tell that to Litton Nation. Hopefully he hits the practice squad.
Mack made some fans this offseason with his nice hands and ability to create mismatches as a former tight end turned wide receiver. Unfortunately he needed much more time and less competition to make this roster right now. Another good practice squad candidate.
Rob McCray, outside linebacker/defensive end
Rob McCray was a project of a pass rusher from Indiana, a player who has natural ability and burst to push the pocket and get after the quarterback. Unfortunately he has little experience standing up on the outside and needed more time. Perhaps the practice squad will allow him to develop more.
McQuay might be able to slip through waivers and make it onto the practice squad, but for now it has to be considered one of the bigger summer disappointments that in a secondary filled with opportunity for any young player to step up and claim playing time, McQuay couldn’t do it for the second straight year. Is there pro potential here? It looks like his chance is fading.
McGill has shown up well in the preseason in his ability to disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage, but the Chiefs have a bit more talent there on the defensive front than they’ve had in recent years. McGill is a good candidate for the PS or another team’s interest because the ability is certainly there.
The Holy Cross product certainly has the size to play at the pro level, but the Chiefs decided to move on from Murray in the end.
The Chiefs recently signed Peters midstream in training camp so he always faced an uphill climb to make the team. It also hurts that the Chiefs are going to make some far more painful cuts at the position.
Mike Purcell, defensive tackle
At 328 lbs., the Chiefs obviously have to like Purcell’s size and push in the middle of the line, but they’ve added some nice size along the defensive front already and a player has to be more than just big. Given an injury or two, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Purcell added again mid-season depending on how healthy the Chiefs can stay.
After a full offseason hearing about his promise along with Will Redmond, the Chiefs have a minor surprise here with the release of Reaser. The former 49ers cornerback had impressed Brett Veach enough to warrant mentions in the press as under-appreciated assets, but Reaser clearly failed to grab the brass ring ahead of him.
The Chiefs praised Redmond and Reaser both this offseason but they allowed both developmental corners to walk in the end. Neither player could make an impact on a team that was rotating players in to significant snaps all offseason, which is a real letdown and makes it unlikely for either player to return to the Chiefs in the future.
Jordan Smallwood, wide receiver
Smallwood faced the same issue as Braver as well as Josh Crockett in there’s simply a glut of too many wide receivers capable of making a real impact on this team. Smallwood has already been cut and re-signed back in May, so maybe the Chiefs keep him around if other teams claim available players.
An undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Carolina, Spain has plenty of experience protecting a quarterback’s blind side. He simply did not stand out enough to warrant a back-up spot with the Chiefs at this point.
If one move is going to sting the most of the roster cuts, it will be the loss of Arrion Springs for many Chiefs fans. In a thin secondary, Springs was known as a very promising player who was surprisingly not drafted out of Oregon. The Chiefs are reportedly hoping he will slip through waivers, but for now they have taken the risk in the name of keeping certain veterans on the active roster.
Last year at this time, Sterns was vying for a roster spot with the Chiefs with his former college teammate Ashton Lampkin. It was a great story for the pair of players from Oklahoma State, but unfortunately for both, their dreams to play for the Chiefs have both stopped this offseason.
Wade was impressive enough for the Chiefs to keep him around all offseason but he wasn’t quite ready to play for them in Week 1. The team is reportedly very interested in keeping Wade as a practice squad player so this might be a quick reunion.
Kerwynn Williams, running back
Kerwynn Williams was brought over from the Arizona Cardinals to round out the competition at scatback and kick returner. In the end, the Chiefs decided to let go of the veteran when he failed to really make his impact felt in either role.
Tim Wright used to be a nice end zone target at tight end for the Bucs and Patriots. Since his first two years in the league, however, he’s become a bit of a journeyman, hoping for some place to call home. The Chiefs tight end spot was up for grabs, but Alex Ellis bested them all.
After five seasons with the team, the Chiefs finally decide to part ways with the generalist who filled in at outside linebacker and special teams for so long. With his experience and abilities, he should have no problem finding work for at least one more year.
Next. Several former Chiefs released on cut day. dark
Best of luck to each and every one of the players who were released today and face an uncertain future. We certainly hope to see several back with the team’s practice squad and wish the best to others as they seek to find a place to chase their NFL dreams.