KC Chiefs: Important takeaways from roster cut deadline

Some vets are only temporarily gone

It should be noted on a day like today that every NFL team has to make some moves simply for the sake of maneuvering around the NFL's rules. And that means the short-term view doesn't match the long-term reality.

For an example, let's take an injured player like Nic Jones. The rookie corner has been sitting in practice due to fractured fingers suffered in the team's first preseason game. There's no way of knowing if he's ready to return or not, but if the Chiefs wanted to sit him on injured reserve, they have a choice to make at this time. If they place him on IR before roster cuts, then he cannot come back this year (e.g. Jody Fortson or Nazeeh Johnson). If they place him on IR after roster cuts, then he has to occupy a spot on the active roster before heading to IR with that designation.

If that seems silly, it is, but such is life. So that means teams can "cut" a player in order to make room for an injured one, only to then bring that player back once the injured guy is on IR (and no longer taking up that roster spot). The problem is that the player cut has to be a veteran or else the Chiefs could lose the temporarily released player to another team's waiver claim. Remember that vets who are cut are instantly free agents and can sign (or refuse to sign) with any team at any time.

So when you see that safety Deon Bush or defensive lineman Danny Shelton has been released, remember that some of moves will be undone by the following day. In those cases, we'll have to wait and see who was really let go and who was just part of some deadline manipulation.