If you survey the Buffalo Bills roster these days, one name stands out as a notable player on the bubble for Kansas City Chiefs fans: defensive end Mike Danna. With only a few days to go before NFL teams have to send 37 players to waivers (or the unemployment line) in order to meet the 53-player active roster cap, nearly every 53-man roster projection—from ESPN to A-to-Z Sports to Sports Illustrated to our own BuffaLowdow—has Danna on the outside looking in.
Danna's potential availability on the open market is an interesting wrinkle in the Chiefs' own roster construction. The price point here has changed considerably, which could bring Danna back into orbit for a team that sent him packing six months ago.
Danna was the first domino to fall as Chiefs general manager Brett Veach reconfigured the team's financial demands heading into a new league year. Danna's $11 million cap hit was disproportionate to his on-field impact, and the team saved $8M in cap space by releasing him in late February. Jawaan Taylor's release and contract restructures would soon follow to allow K.C. the room to maneuver in free agency.
But remember this: even after releasing Danna, Veach stated that he would stay in contact with the defensive end to see how the market played out. From the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, he said, "...you guys know Mike, and he is as good as it gets, just a tremendous player and person, and I have a lot of respect for him. And wanted to just have that opportunity, since I saw him this weekend, to just let him go out there and see what his market is, and we'll remain in contact."
Danna's market was slow to develop. He waited over two months—through the frenzy of free agency and beyond the '26 NFL Draft—before he found a buyer in Buffalo. The Bills signed Danna to a one-year, $1.4M salary (just over the vet minimum for a player with six accrued seasons) in early May and now he's on the bubble. If the Chiefs have stayed in contact, as Veach said, they might see how amenable he is to a reunion.
A changed role for Danna
Danna went from the first draft pick of Veach to earn a second contract to a player losing playing time over the last few years. While he started 14 games a year ago for the Chiefs opposite George Karlaftis, Danna also played in just over 40 percent of all defensive snaps. Over the last three years, Danna's percentages have fallen from 78 percent (2023) to 42 percent (2025) even as he's stayed healthy. In short, his departure wasn't just about money.
But in a reduced role, or even as a security blanket, Danna makes sense for the Chiefs at this juncture. Karlaftis is still locked in as a pillar up front, but the Chiefs were likely ready to lean on second-year Ashton Gillotte to hold down Danna's old spot, at least until rookie R Mason Thomas entered as a situational pass rusher. The problem is that Gillotte is dealing with a ruptured plantar fascia and could miss the start of the season.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah's shown promise in a contract season and might be game for more playing time than expected after missing the '25 campaign due to injury. But Tyreke Smith is also sitting out with a hamstring injury and the newly signed Emmanuel Ogbah is just finding his footing after sitting most of training camp waiting for a new team. Beyond those players, there's no reliability waiting in the wings.
Danna might feel weird coming back to Arrowhead with much lower expectations for playing time, if at all. In fact, it might even make the most sense for Danna to rejoin the Chiefs as a veteran on the practice squad. But he'd already been forced to wait before even signing with the Bills and getting the pink slip later this week will cement a new reality.
Perhaps Danna could find meaningful work and a secure spot on the active roster for another team. He should certainly pursue any meaningful opportunities he can get. He's already accomplished (and earned) far more than anyone would have expected as a former fifth-round pick. But it feels as if a full-circle moment might be coming for a team that could use a friend to lean on.
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