KC Chiefs roster: Taco Charlton, Will Parks among released players

The K.C. Chiefs announced the next round of roster cuts before Tuesday’s deadline imposed by the NFL to get preseason rosters down to 80 players and there are some bigger names this time around than the previous week, including defensive end Taco Charlton and defensive back Will Parks.

The Chiefs announced a total of five roster cuts, although three of those are veterans—Charlton, Parks, and offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann—who are immediate free agents. Elsewhere, two players—quarterback Anthony Gordon and linebacker Riley Cole—are still young enough to go through waivers, giving other teams the ability to claim those players before they also become free agents after 24 hours.

Charlton is the biggest name here and it’s a bit of a surprise that he’s listed here among the earliest cuts in camp. Perhaps the Chiefs are hoping to give him plenty of time to latch on with another team, but there was no room for him as younger players emerged in the preseason at the same time that Charlton had been nursing a hamstring injury. We wondered before the team’s latest preseason game if Charlton would be on the bubble and now we have our answer.

The K.C. Chiefs announced their next five roster cuts.

As for Parks, he was a low-level signing who brought veteran experience and versatility to the Chiefs secondary. However the emergence of faces like Devon Key likely made this an easy decision, and the Chiefs allowed Parks to leave sooner than later which should allow him to catch on with someone. His ability to slide in at either safety or slot corner should earn him work.

As for Witzmann, he was just brought into K.C. as the team dealt with myriad o-line injuries in practice and it makes sense that he’s the first to go from the crowded bunch.

Cole and Gordon might find themselves as potential practice squad additions back with the Chiefs, but they’re far down the pecking order if they’re already cut at this stage. The Chiefs have a lot of linebacking depth at this point for the practice squad, including players like Emmanuel Smith, Dorian O’Daniel, and Darius Harris. As for Gordon, it would be an upset if Shane Buechele was not the quarterback likely slated for the practice squad instead.

Every team has to meet the Tuesday deadline at 4:00 p.m. E.T. to be at 80 players on the active preseason roster, so the Chiefs are getting a bit ahead of things here. Still, the team will cut another 27 players by the following Tuesday, August 31, when 53-man rosters are due before the regular season begins in September.