Kansas City Chiefs Roster Cuts Tracker 2025: Keeping tabs on all of the moves Brett Veach makes to get to 53 players

Keep track all of the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster cuts here.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
Add as preferred source on Google

The 2025 NFL preseason is officially in the books for the Kansas City Chiefs, which means the next time you’ll see the team play is Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil.

Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and the rest of the Chiefs’ brass will now turn their attention to assembling the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad. Deliberations among the coaching staff and front office are already underway, with some very tough decisions ahead of the 53-man roster cut deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 3:00 p.m. CT. 

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about roster cuts ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Important details to know about 2025 NFL roster cuts:

For the second consecutive season, the NFL will have a single roster cut deadline instead of gradual roster cuts with multiple deadlines. Rosters must be reduced to 53 players by Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 3:00 p.m. CT. The team has several different transactions they can use to make that happen. Here are the terms you need to familiarize yourself with: 

Released

When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team, these players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. Sometimes that means they’ll sign with another team. Other times, teams can release these veterans and re-sign them after they’ve placed other players on injured reserve. A name to watch here for the Chiefs is TE Robert Tonyan.

Waived

Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. 31 NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 11:00 a.m. CT on Wednesday, August 27. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Team records from the previous season determine waiver priority this time of year. The team with the worst record will get the top waiver priority, in this case, the Tennessee Titans. The Chiefs will have the second-lowest waiver wire priority this year after falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

Waived/Injured

If these players clear waivers, they will revert to the Chiefs’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season with Kansas City on IR or reach an injury settlement with the team, which will pay them for the number of weeks they’ll miss with injury and make them an unrestricted free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they’re healthy.

Injured Reserve

Up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster, and some good reasons to do so. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR, and another two for playoff teams.

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list 

Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Reserve/Non-football injury/illness (NFI) lists

Players placed on the Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice, and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.

Reserve/Suspended list

Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary. Rashee Rice is the one to watch here, but he’s likely slated to play the first four games of the 2025 NFL season while he awaits a hearing with a dually-appointed arbitrator.

Reserve/Did Not Report list

Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team. The Chiefs could have used this list on Chris Jones in 2023 when he sat out Week 1, but they opted against it. It’s unlikely that any players will be placed on this list this season.

Reserve/Retired list

Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL. This is a pretty rare transaction that you typically wouldn’t see in a move to get to 53 players, but that you could see during the offseason.

Chiefs’ 2025 roster cuts: 53*

Find the full 53-man roster here.

*The Chiefs technically had 91 players on the offseason roster with international OT Chu Godrick getting a roster exemption.

Here’s a look at all the moves so far. . .

  • WR Skyy Moore (traded to San Francisco 49ers)
  • DT Derrick Nnadi (acquired in trade with the New York Jets)
  • QB Bailey Zappe (waived via Tom Pelissero)
  • OG Dalton Cooper (waived via Matt Derrick)
  • WR Hal Presley (waived via Aaron Wilson)
  • S Mike Edwards (released via Tom Pelissero)
  • DT Marlon Tuipulotu (released via Ian Rapoport)
  • OT Esa Pole (waived via Sam McDowell)
  • DT Coziah Izzard (waived via Matt Derrick)
  • CB Melvin Smith Jr. (waived via Herbie Teope)
  • CB Kevin Knowles (waived via Matt Derrick)
  • OG C.J. Hanson (waived via Herbie Teope)
  • DE Nate Matlack (waived via Sam McDowell)
  • LB Cam Jones (waived via Aaron Wilson)
  • FB/RB Carson Steele (waived via Aaron Wilson)
  • OL Chu Godrick (waived via Matt Derrick)
  • LB Cole Christiansen (waived via Matt Derrick)
  • TE Tre Watson (waived via Aaron Wilson)
  • QB Chris Oladokun (waived via Chris Oladokun)
  • CB Ajani Carter (waived)
  • DE Owen Carney (waived)
  • WR Elijhah Badger (waived)
  • CB Jacobe Covington (waived)
  • WR Mac Dalena (waived)
  • CB Azizi Hearn (waived)
  • DE Malik Herring (waived)
  • WR Jimmy Holiday (waived)
  • OL Joey Lombard (waived)
  • DT Fabien Lovett (waived)
  • S Glendon Miller (waived)
  • S Major Williams (waived)
  • LB Xander Mueller (waived)
  • WR Key’Shawn Smith (waived)
  • TE Geor’Quarius Spivey (waived)
  • RB Michael Wiley (waived)
  • OT Ethan Driskell (non-football injury)
  • TE Jake Briningstool (injured reserve)
  • LB Brandon George (injured reserve)
  • CB Nazeeh Johnson (injured reserve)
  • DT Mike Pennel (released)
  • TE Robert Tonyan (released)

NFL practice squad rules

After the claiming period has ended at 11:00 AM CT on Wednesday, Aug. 27, teams are permitted to assemble their 16-man practice squads. Here are the rules on who can be signed to the practice squad.

  • Players who do not have an accrued season (I.E. rookies).
  • Players who were on the active roster for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s).
  • Up to four players per team with no more than two accrued seasons.
  • Up to six players per team with no accrued season limitations (I.E. vested veterans).

Additionally, the Chiefs are allotted an exempt practice squad spot in 2025 because of the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program. Should Chu Godrick be waived from the 90-man offseason roster and clear waivers, Kansas City can keep him in that exempt spot on the practice squad.

The Chiefs placed the following players on season-ending injured reserve

The Chiefs have three players, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, S Deon Bush, and DE Janarius Robinson, on injured reserve. Bush landed on injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles, which will end his season. Anudike-Uzomah was placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, and with a contract of a former first-round pick, that means his season is over. Robinson is the only player with a chance of returning this year because of the severity of his injury and his contract value. The Chiefs can waive him with an injury designation. If he reverts to injured reserve and isn’t claimed, he can then be waived with an injury settlement and re-sign to the team’s practice squad once he’s healthy.

Related Articles