The Kansas City Chiefs announced two roster cuts on Wednesday in order to help make room for the acquisition of wide receiver Josh Downs, among other forthcoming moves. Both defensive end Jack Pyburn and returner Nikko Remigio were released as the Chiefs shift the roster around before Week 10.
The Chiefs dealt fourth- and fifth-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts for Downs and a '27 seventh-round choice in return ahead of the league's midseason trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon.
A new route for Remigio
The release of Remigio is rather shocking, since the team has been committed to him through thick and thin for the last season and a half. His one-note role, solely as a returner with no utility on offense, brought greater attention to his effectiveness, or lack of it, on special teams. But even as he failed to generate big gains on kickoff or punt returns over the last 18 months, coordinator Dave Toub was still firmly in his corner.
Somehow that changed before Week 10. The timing is interesting because Remigio actually had a nice punt return of nearly 70 yards wiped out by a holding penalty against the New York Jets in Week 9. Even with that latest effort, the Chiefs have decided to turn the page on Remigio, who first joined the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2023.
Remigio took over the return role during the team's postseason run to cap the '24 campaign and was the full-time returner in 2025 until now. Obvious names to take over are running backs Brashard Smith and Emmett Johnson. Wide receivers Cyrus Allen and Jalen Royals might also merit consideration, but it's notable that Downs himself has returned 32 punts for Indy since he entered the league.
Chiefs lose preseason sack leader
The release of Pyburn is the less shocking of the Chiefs' two roster cuts. The team claimed him on waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shortly after preseason rosters were pared down, and he's remained stashed away on the Chiefs' active roster ever since.
Pyburn's not sniffed an ounce of playing time, but it seems like K.C.'s hopes all along were to see how the LSU product might grow into an asset on the edge. A thickly built defensive end, Pyburn is a strong run defender known for his toughness and was a bit of a surprise cut by the Bucs in the first place. After all, he was the NFL's preseason sack leader. Dane Brugler of The Athletic had a sixth-round draft grade on him.
Practice squad returnees?
It should be noted that the Chiefs would likely love to welcome both Remigio and Pyburn back with open arms via the practice squad. Whether both can make it through waivers is another question. Remigio's usefulness to the Chiefs might not translate elsewhere, so it might make more sense for teams to let him come back to K.C.. But Pyburn should be an intriguing-enough addition for some team, if they have the roster spot to burn.
As for the corresponding roster move, the Chiefs have yet to announce why they needed to clear two roster spots for one trade target. We'll update as more details emerge.
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