Chiefs Balancing Flexibility but 'Open for Business' With Roster Cuts Looming

With the preseason winding down, the Kansas City Chiefs' roster and depth charts are beginning to take shape. The team still has one more outing left to make last-minute evaluations, then the real work begins before 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 30.

At that point, each team must have its 53-man group finalized. Some players will return on the practice squad or once procedural moves are made elsewhere, but others could hit the waiver wire and never return to Kansas City. Somewhere in between, might there be an addition or two made?

With limited financial wiggle room and a roster that's mostly set, there's an easy case to be made for that answer being no. The Chiefs aren't shutting the door, however, as evidenced by assistant general manager Mike Bradway's comments to the media prior to last weekend's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Once we get that final preseason game and we have all the information from teams, guys that might be available and what it might take to get them," Bradway said. "I think you balance out, is it worth giving up a future pick for a guy? You have to be sure that that guy is going to come in and have a role so you aren’t just wasting assets.

"There's got to be buy-in from the personnel side and, obviously, the coaches. Are they going to use them whether it’s offense, defense or special teams? There could be an opportunity for a player-for-player type of move. We are certainly open for business, open for anything.”

There is some proof of concept here for Bradway and the rest of general manager Brett Veach's staff. In 2024, for instance, the club moved a seventh-round pick in the ensuing year's NFL Draft in exchange for defensive end Cameron Thomas. In the same sweep of transactions, tight end Peyton Hendershot was also acquired for a conditional pick in this year's draft.

Finding the requisite late-round draft capital to land a player isn't much of an issue for the Chiefs, nor is being patient or lucky with breaks on waivers. Finances, as mentioned, are another story. Per the NFLPA's public salary cap report, Kansas City has just $3.5 million in available funding to work with.

Is there a path to more fluid cash? Assistant general manager Chris Shea, citing past instances of being surprised by opposing teams' cutdown-week decisions, believes that valve is also far from shut off.

“Sure, well, having done this for a long time, I think more than you'd think," Shea said of how often he raises his eyebrows at other front offices. "Retaining flexibility to be able to entertain the unforeseen is an important aspect of how we try to structure our cap management philosophy. We really want to present coach (Andy Reid) and Brett with the flexibility to entertain smart roster moves that are independent of cap constraints that we may have.

"We certainly have some of them, but we don't have a perfect crystal ball, none of us in the front office. Opportunities present themselves that are unforeseen so, yeah, we plan to be flexible. There are limits to that given that we have a lot of good players under contract, but we try to present Brett and coach with opportunities through our cap management.”

Aside from scouring the free agent market, the next week could be the Chiefs' only avenue to improving on the fringes. There are several teams in better positions to land intriguing talents, sure, but there are also less active front offices (and less savvy ones, too).

With Veach and company assessing the league landscape, don't be surprised if there's a new face wearing red and white once the month of August comes to a close.

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