The Kansas City Chiefs made a couple of minor moves near the end of the week to shift some of the competition at wide receiver and cornerback. On Thursday, it was announced the team had released defensive back Anthony Witherstone from the 90-man offseason roster in order to make room for wideout Kekoa Crawford.
The Chiefs hosted Crawford for a tryout during their mandatory minicamp earlier this week and the results were positive per team reporters watching practice. The Chiefs then decided to sign Crawford to a contract following the strong showing.
Witherstone had been with the team for just over a month after signing as a rookie free agent back in early May, following the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was already a longshot for the roster at corner given the tremendous amount of competition in both quality and quantity, and the fact that he was trying to make the leap from Merrimack didn't help his case.
As for Crawford, he comes to the Chiefs after a stint with the Indianapolis Colts as a rookie free agent signing following the 2022 NFL Draft. Crawford landed with the Colts after completing his college career at Cal (which began at Michigan). However, the Colts released him even before training camp began and he's been a free agent ever since.
Given that Crawford didn't even have a team to call home last year, it's interesting that he could suddenly earn a spot with the Chiefs this late in the preseason but clearly he stood out among his peers at the right time. The Chiefs now have an opportunity to see if they have a diamond in the rough as the offseason turns into training camp and Crawford aims to fight the long odds once again.