Chiefs Cut Ties With Special Teams Ace, Shuffle Roster and Cap After Josh Downs Trade

It's been a busy week for the Kansas City Chiefs as they attempt to move on from a win over the New York Jets and gear up for a road contest versus the Atlanta Falcons. Although the 2026 NFL trade deadline is in the books, general manager Brett Veach's work is far from done.

On Wednesday, Kansas City completed some roster moves and also appears to have made a tweak to the salary cap sheet in response to the club's trade for former Indianapolis Colts receiver Josh Downs.

Let's dive into the latest Chiefs transactions and what they could mean for the rest of the season.

Chiefs waive Nikko Remigio in pair of Wednesday roster moves

In a Wednesday morning tweet on X, the Chiefs announced that the Downs trade is official. It's him and a 2027 seventh-round pick coming to KC in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round picks in the same NFL Draft.

In order to make room for Downs on the 53-man roster, wide receiver Nikko Remigio was waived. The 2023 undrafted free agent is now available to be claimed by all 31 other NFL teams but could always pursue a return to Kansas City if he clears waivers.

We have traded for WR Josh Downs.

We have waived WR Nikko Remigio and DE Jack Pyburn. pic.twitter.com/bdZIgClbIW
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 11, 2026

Remigio, who turned 27 a week ago, was in his fourth year with the team. The former Fresno State standout has 72 offensive snaps and 202 special teams reps to his name as a Chief, including respective marks of two and 55 in 2026. Remigio played in five regular-season games in 2024 before seeing that total increase to 14 last campaign. He'd appeared in all eight contests to date this season.

Assuming it isn't Remigio being back on the practice squad and elevated for game day, it'll be interesting to see who handles the return duties for the Chiefs. Remigio had 12 kickoff returns and 14 punt returns this year, including a big-time 69-yard return that was wiped by a penalty on Sunday.

Options for the vacant special teams role include rookies Cyrus Allen and Emmett Johnson, as well as running back Brashard Smith once he comes off injured reserve. Downs has 32 punt returns and a pair of kickoff returns on his resume, although his projected role on offense could keep him out of special teams dealings.

The Chiefs have also waived defensive end Jack Pyburn, whom the franchise originally claimed off waivers at the end of August when roster cuts were happening. Like Remigio, he may be a practice squad candidate.

No corresponding addition has been revealed as of the publishing of this article, but reading the tea leaves could hint at defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott officially rejoining the 53-man roster from the physically unable to perform list.

Kansas City clears cap space for Josh Downs trade

Veach and company found themselves strapped for cash at the deadline, leaving Downs as one of the more affordable and sensible pieces that wouldn't require a ton of cap gymnastics to fit under the league-allotted threshold.

Kansas City wound up pulling the contract lever of linebacker Nick Bolton to make sufficient room for Downs' expiring rookie deal.

Shared by Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac, $6.76M of Bolton's salary was converted into a signing bonus, giving the team another $3.3M in space to work with. The polarizing defensive stopper now carries a 2027 cap hit of $22.6M with $7.6M in dead money if released, further signaling that he's in the club's plans for next season.

The #Chiefs converted $6.76M of LB Nick Bolton's salary into signing bonus, creating $3.3M of 2026 cap space.

Updated Cap Hits (dead)
2026: $15.8M ($23.5M)
2027: $22.6M ($7.6M)
— Spotrac (@spotrac) November 11, 2026

If the Chiefs wanted to lower that number to below $20M, they could always sign Bolton to an offseason contract extension. Considering that he's still only 26 years old, that outlook seems to be favorable.

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