Kansas City Chiefs’ latest roster move sees UDFA cut before preseason Week 1 to make room for veteran DE Emmanuel Ogbah
The Kansas City Chiefs made their deal with DE Emmanuel Ogbah official. They released UDFA CB Bryce Phillips in a corresponding move.
One undrafted rookie has seen his NFL dream with the Kansas City Chiefs come to an end.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially announced they have signed veteran defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah. This comes after a few days of maneuvering between the official announcement of Ogbah’s return and his travel to Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, to pass a physical and sign his deal with the team. With a full roster, Kansas City needed to make a corresponding roster move. According to Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick, the team has waived undrafted free agent CB Bryce Phillips.
Phillips was one of the 20 undrafted free agents who signed with the team following the 2026 NFL Draft. He was considered one of the best available cornerback prospects post-draft. His brother Clark was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. Bryce was coming off a fantastic season with San Diego State University in 2025, when he recorded 34 total tackles, one tackle for loss, nine passes broken up, and an interception in 12 games.
A logjam at cornerback forced the Kansas City Chiefs’ hand with Phillips
Unfortunately for Phillips, there’s a bit of a logjam in the cornerback room. The Chiefs sorely needed depth at defensive end, which preceded the signing of Emmanuel Ogbah. The timing here is an unfortunate reality for Phillips. He won’t get the chance to put up any tape for other NFL teams in Week 1 of the preseason. There isn’t time to catch on with another team before games are played, even if he’s claimed on waivers.
There’s always a need for cornerbacks in the NFL, and he will likely catch on with another team soon. He’ll just need to have a successful tryout or be claimed on waivers by said team. The Chiefs also still have a pair of undrafted free agent cornerbacks on the roster, including Zelmar Vedder and D’Arco Perkins-McAllister.
Don’t expect Emmanuel Ogbah in preseason week 1
Fans should not expect Ogbah to play in preseason week 1 either. He hasn’t been participating in any offseason work, so no OTAs, mandatory minicamp, or training camp for Ogbah to this point. He’ll likely need to get his sea legs back under him at the team’s training camp site at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, on the other side of preseason week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
The veteran defensive end is expected to slot into the depth chart behind the top four players at the position: George Karlaftis, Ashton Gillotte, rookie R Mason Thomas, and former first-round draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
