Every year, as NFL rosters are trimmed from 90 to 53 players, a bunch of familiar names pop back up on the transaction wire. They're guys you likely forgot about—names you once pulled for or draft picks that never quite worked out.
While most of the attention is rightly focused on who officially made the Chiefs’ active roster, it’s always a fun exercise to play a round of “remember this guy?", to see where and how former Chiefs are faring.
What follows isn’t a full roll call of every former Chiefs player floating around the league (that list would be way too long), but it’s a snapshot of some notable (and not so notable) names who once wore red and gold and found themselves on the wrong side of roster cuts in 2025.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks decided they weren't going to keep MVS around after an offseason plan that had him pegged as WR3 in a remade offense around Sam Bradford. Now the 30-year-old receiver will search for a new home for his eighth NFL season.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, New Orleans Saints
The move back to Louisiana was a nice homecoming for Clyde Edwards-Helaire after being released by the Chiefs last December. That he was brought back for 2025 was even more heartening, but that journey has come to an end. Whether it's temporary remains to be seen.
Darius Rush, CB, Cleveland Browns
The Chiefs waived Rush earlier this summer with an injury designation, along with former Cowboys DB Eric Scott.
Keondre Coburn, DT, Las Vegas Raiders
Coburn is a former sixth-round choice of the Chiefs who has somehow made his way through three-quarters of the AFC West despite being in the league for only two years. He even has a short stint with Tennessee on his resume.
Tanoh Kpassagnon, DL, Chicago Bears
The former Villanova product has enjoyed a steady career with the Chiefs and Saints, but his short tenure with the Bears brings up questions of whether a ninth NFL season is in the cards.
Emani Bailey, RB, Carolina Panthers
The Chiefs inked Emani Bailey as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, and he hung onto a practice squad spot to start the year. In November, however, the team cut him loose and Carolina took a closer look—all the way through this year's roster cuts.
Elijah Young, RB, Buffalo Bills
Elijah Young made it through most of the summer on the Chiefs' roster, but he was waived after the second preseason game. The Bills picked him up and gave him plenty of touches in their preseason finale only to waive him shortly thereafter.
Baylor Cupp, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Baylor Cupp should be familiar to Chiefs fans as a rookie free agent who signed with them in 2024 and then landed a practice squad role for the year. Brought back for this offseason, he was released following this year's draft. The Ravens picked him up at the beginning of August and cut him before active rosters were due.
Mecole Hardman, WR, Green Bay Packers
Given the fact that Hardman has left the team only to return in years past, it makes sense that the Chiefs might be interested in a reunion once again knowing the veteran wideout was let go by the Packers.
Jackson Barton & Sebastian Gutierrez, OT, Cleveland Browns
Barton was a former seventh-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts who found a home in K.C. for a full calendar year, from 2019-2020, before being released when rosters were due for the 2020 campaign. Since then, he's spent time with the Giants, Raiders, Cardinals, and Browns.
Gutierrez profiles very similarly to Barton as a former Chiefs lineman (2023), who has carved out a living as a journeyman in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent from Minot State (yes, that's a real school) has played for 7 NFL teams.
Montrell Washington, WR, New York Giants
Montrell Washington entered the league as a fifth-round choice of the Broncos in 2022. He was signed to the Chiefs practice squad in 2023 and was there for the better part of two seasons.
Swayze Bozeman, LB, Chicago Bears
A preseason favorite of Steve Spagnuolo from 2024, Bozeman signed as a UDFA from Southern Miss only to fall short of the active roster that summer. He would join the practice squad, however, and found himself elevated for three games. The Bears signed him following the season.
DiCaprio Bootle, CB, Detroit Lions
One of the best names to join the Chiefs roster in recent years, Bootle was a nice find as an undrafted corner who remained with the team in some fashion from 2021 through the 2023 offseason. He appeared in seven games through 2021-22.
Lamar Jackson, CB, Atlanta Falcons
Lamar Jackson, the non-quarterback version, has earned playing time in 25 games across five NFL seasons with six teams, but somehow the Chiefs aren't one of them. He spent only a summer with the franchise before the 2023 regular season.
Matthew Wright, K, Carolina Panthers
Wright has been a name Brett Veach has called on when in a pinch for a substitute kicker for Harrison Butker. Given that he's free once again, the Chiefs might keep his name in the Rolodex.
Ekow Boye-Doe, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Ekow Boye-Doe was a great story in the 2023 preseason when the Chiefs signed the Lawrence, Kansas native as a rookie free agent. The former K-State product was able to stay home and make an impact with 84 special teams reps in 5 games that season for the Chiefs. He was waived before the following season, but he'll always have a championship ring for his efforts.
Demone Harris, DL, San Francisco 49ers
Harris was plucked from the Ravens practice squad and ended up playing parts of three seasons for the Chiefs, with seven appearances to his credit. He was released midway through the 2021 season.