Pioli and Haley have a 53-man roster - for now (O.Wagner/AP)
After cutting eight players on Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs whittled down their roster by 14 more today and got it down to the league-mandated number of 53.
The team announced it has released the following players through its live blog on kcchiefs.com:
• CB Jackie Bates
• TE Tom Crabree
• DE Dion Gales
• DE Bobby Greenwood
• G Darryl Harris
• WR Taurus Johnson
• WR Ashley Lelie
• DT Derek Lokey
• S Bernard Pollard
• S Ricky Price
• LB Zach Thomas
• RB Javarris Williams
• WR Rodney Wright
The team also placed former Mizzou Tiger, rookie guard Colin Brown, on the Injured Reserve list, shutting him down for this season.
The biggest surprises here are definitely Ashley Lelie, Zach Thomas and the starting safety for the past two years, Bernard Pollard. Thomas hasn’t been able to play or practice during the preseason and this may have ended his career. If he wanted to do it, Thomas could probably be a coach in the NFL right away. Lelie seemed to have been a visible contributor during his short stay in KC, but this is just another disappointment in his underachieving career.
Pollard is a hard-hitting strong safety who seemed to get out of position often during his three year career with the Chiefs. For someone like Todd Haley, who cannot stand mental mistakes on the field, it’s probably not a shock that Pollard got the axe.
All of the players released over the last two days will pass through waivers, allowing any other NFL team to put a claim in on them. If no other team claims a player, and that player meets certain requirements, the Chiefs will be able to put them on their “practice squad”. The practice squad is what it sounds like, meaning a player can practice with the team during the week, but is ineligible to play in games.
But Chiefs fans know that the current 53-man roster isn't the same today as it will be when the Chiefs kick off against Baltimore on September 13. Hundreds of players have received their walking papers over the past two days and the Chiefs will try to bring some of them in for try-outs. The offensive line and special teams standouts could easily find jobs in KC.
Well, if they are standouts, they WON'T be available, but considering how bad the Chiefs have been in the return game and on their O-line, somebody with a pulse and two good legs might look like a standout in comparison.
Want to stay up-to-date on Chiefs news and views? Click on the SUBSCRIBE button above and register. Your e-mail address will NEVER be sold or given out to another party.
Comments