Say what you will about the Cornell Powell era, but the wide receiver has found a way to stay connected and valuable to the Kansas City Chiefs for longer than several others in his NFL career. However, that time might have found its end on Tuesday.
The NFL's transaction report indicated that the Chiefs have officially decided to release Powell from the team's practice squad on Tuesday. It's a move that makes sense given other recent transactions made by the team.
Earlier this week, the Chiefs and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton had reportedly agreed to a deal that would bring him onto their practice squad.
The Chiefs have made some moves on the practice squad to bring in a new face at wide receiver
Thornton is a former second round pick of the New England Patriots, taken just before Skyy Moore in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Chiefs have cleared space for Thornton by setting Powell free, which will come as no surprise to anyone in Chiefs Kingdom given the lack of game day relevance for Powell.
Powell was a known commodity for the Chiefs at this point, and that was largely as an emergency option who knew his role on special teams and the offense as a former fifth-round draft pick in 2021 who'd found a way to stay with the franchise for each of the last four years despite not making the active roster.
The Chiefs selected Powell out of Clemson as a late-bloomer of a prospect who only made noise in the Tigers' offense as a fifth-year senior. However, the NFL would hold no such timing for him and his only games played came with three appearances back in 2022 when he played 28 total snaps on Dave Toub's special teams coverage units.