The Kansas City Chiefs have been flirting with the potential of defensive tackle Keondre Coburn all season long by making him available from time to time to other teams. After the first time they lost him, the Chiefs welcomed him back, but now the Tennessee Titans have stepped in again to take him away.
According to the NFL transaction report. the Titans have claimed Coburn, who was on the Chiefs practice squad, and signed him to their active roster. It's the third team to employ Coburn in less than a single season.
The Chiefs have lost Keondre Coburn off the practice squad to another team—again.
The Chiefs originally landed Coburn when they submitted his name as the team's sixth-round pick out of the University of Texas in the 2023 NFL Draft. While Coburn played a clear position of need for the Chiefs (and still does) at defensive tackle, the preseason competition in training camp allowed others to beat Coburn to any active roster spots—including names like Matt Dickerson.
Around Week 7, the Chiefs were forced to move some pieces around from the active roster when defensive end Charles Omenihu came back from a season-opening suspension. They'd also traded for wide receiver Mecole Hardman. In that series of moves, they decided to waive Coburn to be able to re-sign him to the practice squad, but the Denver Broncos stepped in and claimed him instead.
Coburn wouldn't last too long in Denver and it was only a few weeks until they'd released him as well and the Chiefs signed him back onto their own practice squad. Finally it seemed like Coburn might stick around—that is until the Titans signed him away this week.
Whether or not he stays with the Titans remains unclear but it's a decent bet worth taking for a team needing size and strength up front. For now, the Chiefs are once again without their late-round investment and can only wonder if he will ever boomerang back around again.