Did Joshua Kaindoh do enough to make the Chiefs roster?

Defensive end Joshua Kaindoh is a perplexing player to analyze for his roster chance with the Chiefs knowing the tension of potential and production.

Based on his production (or lack of it), Joshua Kaindoh does not deserve to make the active roster of the Kansas City Chiefs this season. That clarity still cannot rid the Chiefs of the cloud around Kaindoh’s future, which means the answer for what to do about Kaindoh is not an easy one to arrive at—no matter how some fans might resort to a snap judgment.

Kaindoh was drafted as a long-term project out of Florida State as a pass-srushing prospect with all the right tools. He was strong with incredible length. He had solid agility and a good burst. The intangibles were all there, but, for various reasons, the production was not. It’s the reason why Kaindoh was drafted exactly where such potential would be taken: at the midpoint of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Kaindoh was taken in the fourth round by the Chiefs in last year’s draft. WIth his natural abilities, he wouldn’t slip any farther because his talent was always worth a flyer. That said, after a nice early start at Florida State, he slowly faded from view and teams knew it wasn’t worth reaching early with that sort of lackluster track record of actually putting it all together.

His first season played out like everyone would have expected with Kaindoh largely learning and/or sitting due to injury. The first year was all about redshirting as it was, but coming into his second season, it still seems as if Kaindoh is a long way off. On Thursday, Kaindoh was relegated to playing late in the game with other fringe roster players in the final game of an offseason in which he never really stood out too much.

At this point, Kaindoh feels like an obvious answer in both directions. On the one hand, the Chiefs’ pass rush has to improve and other players have made the leap. To keep Kaindoh just because of what he could become feels irresponsible for a contender. On the other hand, the Chiefs knew he was a long-term investment and, to date, he’s been on the team for 15 months. If they weren’t going to be patient with him, then why take him in the first place?

Should Kaindoh get more of a runway? Should the Chiefs cut ties with him already? It feels like anything is possible at this stage for the second-year player.