KC Chiefs Re-Sign 2021 Fifth-Round Pick Cornell Powell to Offseason Roster
With the new league year approaching and offseason rosters expanding to 90 men, teams will have plenty of flexibility along the fringes. That's no different for the Kansas City Chiefs, who added to their total on Wednesday.
Per the NFL's daily personnel notice, Kansas City has re-signed wide receiver Cornell Powell to the offseason roster. This was confirmed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston.
Powell, who just wrapped up his third season in the league, was a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2021. He's appeared in just three games thus far in his career with the team, playing three offensive snaps and logging 28 special teams reps from Weeks 11-13 of the 2022 campaign. Outside of that, Powell has spent plenty of time on Kansas City's practice squad but hasn't managed to break through to the active roster much at all.
Last summer seemed like a solid chance for Powell to leave an impression on the team, which he did. A strong training camp helped his case, as did six receptions on seven targets for 63 yards during the preseason. After tweaking his hamstring in the finale versus the Cleveland Browns, however, he failed to make it out of camp on the 53-man roster. Powell, as he had in the past, came back on a practice squad basis.
Powell, 26, broke out during his senior season at Clemson. Hauling in 53 passes for 882 yards and seven touchdowns, the former Tiger also had a respectable pre-draft process highlighted by a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, 10'8" broad jump and 36.5" vertical jump. That boosted his draft stock enough for him to be a Day Three selection by the Chiefs.
For the offseason, Powell will join players like Montrell Washington and Shi Smith (reserve/futures contracts) as end-of-roster candidates at wide receiver. The active roster and depth chart could shuffle over the next couple of months, meaning there may be opportunities for others to step up. Regardless of how many pass catchers Kansas City adds or subtracts by the time OTAs roll around, Powell will be given a chance to showcase his growth. Can the former No. 181 overall pick rise up the ranks? This leaves the door cracked open for it.
