The best player the Chiefs are very likely to release at roster cuts

In the interest of clarity from the get-go, the headline is everything here.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a number of players with some decent name recognition (thanks, three Super Bowl rings!) on the offseason 90-man roster who are flirting with the possibility of being released in a matter of days. But the wording is important here. While some bigger names could be discussed with one foot out the door, it's also just as possible those players are brought back. And that's not the conversation we're having.

That's not to say that someone like running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire won't be released. Or maybe wide receiver Mecole Hardman. For the former, the Chiefs are already dealing with depth concerns at running back, so how much sense does it make to continue to employ someone with ongoing health concerns? For the latter, Hardman hasn't looked that much more inspired than other younger players on both special teams or offense.

Both players are also on inexpensive single-season contracts that are easily discarded.

It can be hard to sift through the positional battles to find someone who is pretty obviously gone who is worth making noise about.

Back to our premise, however. While such cuts are possible, they're not probable, and that's the area of concern here. Among the players the Chiefs are actually more likely to place on waivers (or surrender to free agency depending on the seasons accrued on the part of the player), which one is the best? Or the one who could be the most missed?

That makes it too hard to call along the defensive interior when players like Matt Dickerson, Neil Farrell, and Fabien Lovett keep trading impressive moments in camp and preseason games. When Kelvin Joseph and Keith Taylor trade punches in the Chiefs secondary, you have to add them to the already expansive list of competitors. Where does that leave Nic Jones or Christian Roland-Wallace or Ekow Boye-Doe? Too soon to say.

Narrowing down what seems likely, then, leaves us looking at a solid special teams piece and veteran defender who looks he's unfortunately been crowded out of the roster, despite coming up big for the Chiefs in recent championship seasons. Say hello—or is it goodbye?—to Deon Bush.

When looking at safety, the Chiefs likely signed Bush's pink slip when they drafted Jaden Hicks in the fourth round. Hicks has been every bit the draft steal he was expected to be. With Hicks, Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, and Chamarri Conner in the loop, there's no room for anyone else but four safeties. That's been the case for the last few years positionally and that should remain the case going forward.

Even for those who want to position Conner as a corner and not a safety, the truth is that corner is so overbooked that the Chiefs would be foolish to list Conner there instead of keeping a cost-controlled developmental talent over Bush.

That's not to say Bush has little to no value. That's why we're listing him here, a way of pointing a spotlight at a player who is never going to light up the stat sheet yet has served as an all-important "glue guy"—a role player who does the dirty work on special teams. In fact, it's to Bush's great credit that he's put together such a long career (eight seasons) by hanging on as a special teams performer.

Bush first signed with the Chiefs in the spring of 2022 and went on to play 16 games that season for the Chiefs with the vast majority of his snaps coming as a core performer on special teams for Dave Toub. Last year, Bush was in this same predicament and was released at roster cuts only to return to special teams. However, he did play six games after being elevated to the active roster at midseason.

In the postseason, Bush became an unlikely late-game hero with a pass deflection and interception to help seal the Chiefs' win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game.

For any team looking for a plug-and-play veteran on special teams, Bush would make an obvious addition, especially with two Super Bowl rings to his credit (and the wisdom and experience that comes with them). But if the Chiefs are lucky enough, it's possible Bush will accept another start on the practice squad knowing the long road ahead might allow him to make a bit more impact in the end.