The most pressing post-draft roster concerns for the Kansas City Chiefs

6) Dustin Colquitt is let go after 15 years with the team.

Dustin Colquitt has served as the Chiefs punter for a remarkable 15 seasons. Drafted in 2005, he came into the league the same time as Alex Smith, Derrick Johnson, Frank Gore and Darren Sproles. He’s had five head coaches in his time as a pro, and in September of 2019, he became the most-tenured player in franchise history.

As of the Super Bowl, Colquitt had played in 250 regular-season and playoff games. For a few months in the wake of their big win over the San Francisco 49ers, fans have quietly wondered: with that elusive Super Bowl ring finally on his finger, would Colquitt return for another year or will he go out on top? Then came the answer as the Chiefs decided to move on to younger options.

Recent history has been topsy-turvy for Colquitt, by his standards. Since 2013, he had not had a single punt blocked until the Colts playoff game in January of 2019. He had another block in a nationally-televised game at New England in December 2019 and then again in the first quarter of the divisional playoff game against Houston in January. Colquitt also was under the microscope after a frustrating loss in Tennessee in which he quickly chucked away a botched snap and was charged with intentional grounding. Though the play was not his fault, he certainly felt the brunt of the blame in the aftermath.

But all’s well that ends well, and Colquitt still must look back fondly on a season that culminated with the ultimate trip to Miami for Super Bowl LIV. Congratulations to Dustin Colquitt on a remarkable career with the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Looking to 2020: It was one of those circumstances you hoped would just figure itself out. The Chiefs need cap space. Colquitt also has a pretty high cap number for a punter.

When the team added 24-year-old punter Tyler Newsome on April 8, and UDFA Tommy Townsend from Florida just after the draft, the writing appeared to be on the wall. Kansas City will save $2 million against their 2020 cap with Colquitt off the books. Now one of them must step into the shoes of a franchise favorite.

All in all, the list is a short one. In years past, it has seemed like the Kansas City Chiefs have had a laundry list of roster problems, but this is a team that is fully loaded and ready to make a run for another Super Bowl ring in 2020.