Chiefs 2023 53-man roster cuts primer

The Kansas City Chiefs have completed the 2023 NFL preseason, and now they're set to turn their attention to 53-man roster cuts. Brett Veach will have his work cut out of him as he seeks to trim the roster from 90 players, keeping the 53 best players for his initial roster. Asked what the next […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Aug 26, 2023 7:48 PM EDT

The Kansas City Chiefs have completed the 2023 NFL preseason, and now they're set to turn their attention to 53-man roster cuts.

Brett Veach will have his work cut out of him as he seeks to trim the roster from 90 players, keeping the 53 best players for his initial roster. Asked what the next 48 hours will look like, Chiefs HC Andy Reid explained how the coaching staff and front office will begin to narrow things down.

"Yeah, so Brett (Veach) will get with his guys (Sunday) morning," Reid said. "And then the coaches will grade the tape and get that in for the coach's final evaluation of the guy's playing. And then Brett will shake it all up and come out with the best group that we think can help us here. And it's always the toughest day. I mean, that's when you have to make the cuts because these guys are busting their tails through all the OTAs and then through the training camp. They all can't be here, unfortunately."

With roster cuts on the horizon, here is a look at everything you need to know for the Chiefs ahead of cutdown day:

When is the NFL 53-man roster cut deadline?

While teams can begin cutting players at any time, Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT) is the NFL deadline for teams to reduce rosters from 90 players to 53 players.

What types of transactions can the Chiefs make to get down to 53 players?

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.
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 August 30. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season. The team with the worst record will get the top waiver priority, in this case, the Chicago Bears. The Chiefs will have the lowest waiver priority as Super Bowl LVII champions.
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, becoming a free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they're healthy.
Injured reserve: If a player is placed on injured reserve and is not on the initial 53-man roster on Aug. 29, they are not allowed to be designated to return from injured reserve during the upcoming season. Players who make the initial 53-man roster and are placed on IR afterward are eligible for an IR return designation.
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 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 that 21-day period, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
Non-football injury (NFI) list: Players placed on the non-football injury list have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They can go to 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 list.
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. Charles Omenihu will be placed on this list to serve his six-game suspension. He'll be unable to be present with the team for half of his suspension, so he’ll be away from the team until at least Sept. 25. At that point he can return and participate in team meetings and weight training. He'll be eligible to fully rejoin the team on Oct. 13.
Reserve/Did Not Report list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team. If the Chiefs have not agreed to terms with DT Chris Jones on a long-term contract extension and he has not rejoined the team, they can place him on this list. He would not count against the 53-man roster or the team's salary cap at this point, but this could severely complicate things in terms of bringing him back. It'd likely mean that the threat of a holdout until Week 8 is no longer a threat.

When can teams begin assembling their practice squad?

After the claiming period has ended at Noon ET on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 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 2023 because of the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program. Should international OT Jason "Chu" Godrick clear waivers, Kansas City can keep him in that exempt spot on the practice squad.