The Chiefs finally trimmed down the roster to the mandatory 53, which cut was the best and which left us scratching our heads?
The Kansas City Chiefs had a lot to handle this offseason, they lost leaders in the locker room with Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu now on other teams. With the loss of these key players, the Chiefs went out to get Justin Reid and JuJu Smith Schuster to help fill the void left by the two players who helped the Cheifs win a Super Bowl in 2019. They also had a pretty spectacular draft, getting good players with almost every pick.
This was going to be one of the toughest seasons for cuts in recent memory, there were players who were competing all up and down this roster for roster spots. But on Tuesday, August 30, the Chiefs finally got down to the 53 which is required by the league. Here is the most surprising and least surprising cut of this preseason.
Most Surprising Cut
Needless to say, the Chiefs were full of potential offensive weapons during the preseason, from the first wide receiver on down, and they competed a lot in the preseason. It was going to be tough to know who was going to be on the roster and an emerging star like Justin Watson made the case to be on the roster.
However, one of the most shocking cuts for me was Daurice Fountain, who was a major contributor to the team last season. He was able to showcase his skills on special teams and his ability to catch the ball throughout the preseason.
When he came into camp this summer, he seemed to have upped his game and be a real contender to get his spot back on the roster. In the preseason games, he was able to show some consistency, only missing four catches and making big tackles in special teams.
The only upside of cutting Fountain is that he’ll be on the practice squad, which is fluid right now and hasn’t been fully set. Fountian could definitely find himself back on the active roster soon if the Chiefs decide to move on from another player.
Least Surprising Cut
The Chiefs and Josh Gordon have decided to part ways after Gordon has been disappointing over the preseason. Gordon was brought in last year as an experiment for the Chiefs offense which had no definitive number two receiver. Gordon never was able to find his footing in the offense and was let go in the final roster cuts.
Gordon said a public farewell to the Chiefs and the Kingdom in a tweet: “Appreciate all the @Chiefs kingdom has done for me and my family this past year. Thanks for the opportunity and the many memories.”
In 2021 he played in 12 games for the Chiefs last season with five catches, 32 yards, and a touchdown on a screen pass. Unfortunately for him this year, he never got anything going on for him during training camp or during the preseason, so it was pretty clear he was going to be a roster casualty.
Player Surprisingly made the Roster
Ronald Jones always seemed like he was lower on the depth chart, going from the second team to the fourth team offense, depending on the practice or game. Jones was brought in to compete for the backup running back job and he just never wowed anyone during the preseason.
But during the Packers game, he showed a little bit more strength and vision, as he rushed for 43 yards and may have impressed head coach Andy Reid: “I thought RoJo did a nice job down the stretch,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Tuesday. “We know what he’s capable of. It’s a matter of him being comfortable in the offense — (and) for a lot of the running backs — and it looked like he was starting to get it down the stretch there. So, good football player.”
Well, Jones has been a very solid back in recent seasons, and maybe the Chiefs need another back who can be a change of pace. But the Chiefs’ roster situation has been seen as unfinished so there is a chance he might not be on the Chiefs active roster at some point in the season.
