Kansas City Chiefs can soften the blow of DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah’s injury in the coming weeks during or after 53-man roster cuts

The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of options ahead of them after the season-ending injury to DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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The Kansas City Chiefs have some questions to answer along the defensive line after a hamstring injury to former first-round draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah landed No. 91 on season-ending injured reserve.

The third-year professional was likely in line to be the team’s No. 5 defensive end on the depth chart in 2025. The injury now leaves a considerable gap in the depth of talent behind players like George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Charles Omenihu, and Ashton Gillotte.

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo spoke about the loss of Anudike-Uzomah ahead of practice on Tuesday.

“Well, it hurts to lose anybody,” Spagnuolo explained to media members. “And certainly, Felix (Anudike-Uzomah), we were counting on in certain ways, right? In certain roles. We’ll see who steps up and takes that role. I mean, it’ll become numbers. Brett (Veach) does a great job with that. Him and Coach Reid. You know, some years, I know we’ve kept five ends, and then it’s four, and then maybe I think sometimes we kept six, but might be one less tackle or one less linebacker. So, when it gets down to the end, there will be, ‘Who’s the best 53?’ However that works out. But, you know, in Felix’s case, the next D-Ends there, Malik’s (Herring) got an opportunity to jump up in there. Ashton (Gillotte) has been playing good football, so see how it pans out.”

Chiefs DL Malik Herring is the in-house option most likely to make the 53-man roster

First, let’s talk about the most likely in-house option to make the 53-man roster with Anudike-Uzomah on IR. Malik Herring is a player who has been in the system for five years as a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia in 2021. The 27-year-old is listed at 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, and he’s proven to be versatile enough to play edge rusher and interior defensive line. He has appeared in 26 games from 2022 through 2024, with one start. During that span, he has recorded a pass batted, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 1.5 sacks, 28 total tackles, and three tackles for loss. This isn’t a high-ceiling move, but he’s probably fine depth for special teams and a No. 5 option at edge rusher.

The Chiefs, of course, have other options who could impress in the final week of the preseason. They already added DE Owen Carney on Monday and added DE Nate Matlack the week prior, but where else could they look for help on the edges?

Best free agent options available include a player the Chiefs have wanted once before

There are a few free agent edge rusher options still available out there that could raise the ceiling for the room in 2025. That includes former 2014 No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The Chiefs have had multiple opportunities in the past to show interest in and or even sign Clowney as a free agent, but they’ve declined to do so, which leads me to believe he’s not an option for the team.

One very intriguing name is Za’Darius Smith, who has been on the Chiefs’ radar before at the trade deadline. This is what we wrote about Smith back in March: “The Chiefs have shown interest in Smith around the trade deadline in the past, but they’ve struggled to land him. Why would he make sense for Kansas City now? Well, for starters, he’s a street free agent after being released by the Detroit Lions, which means he won’t count toward the NFL’s compensatory pick formula. While he’ll turn 33 years old during the 2025 NFL season, he’s still shown that he’s got something left in the tank. He posted 20 solo tackles, 18 stops, 10 sacks, and 63 pressures in 17 regular-season games last season across time with the Cleveland Browns and Lions.”

Suppose either of these players or any vested veteran free agent is an option for the team. In that case, their signing might come after Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, to avoid paying out unnecessary guaranteed money. All vested veterans (four years of experience) have their contracts fully guaranteed if they’re on the roster for Week 1. There’s also, of course, the possibility that another veteran is released or made available via trade during roster cuts (sorry folks, Trey Hendrickson isn’t happening).

5 names to watch for the Chiefs during 53-man roster cuts

If the Chiefs are looking for a different caliber of investment that fits more along the lines of a No. 5 defensive end option, they’ll likely be looking at the waiver wires or for a potential trade during 53-man roster cuts. They have some recent experience in this area that they could revisit in 2025.

Browns DE Cam Thomas: The Chiefs traded for Thomas last season, and I’d be surprised to see that happen again, but perhaps as a waiver wire addition. The 6-foot-4 and 276-pound edge rusher appeared in four games, playing just six snaps on defense and 22 snaps on special teams, recording no official stats. This felt like a classic case of a player joining the system late and trying to learn on the fly. He’d have the benefit of knowing some of the system this time around. This preseason, Thomas has produced five pressures on 44 snaps through two games.

Patriots DE/LB Anfernee Jennings: Jennings might be the player on this list most comparable to Anudike-Uzomah in terms of role. At 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, he’s got that tweener body type to be an effective speed rusher and edge-setter. Through two preseason games, he’s recorded six defensive stops and four total pressures, including three sacks in preseason Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. With the depth of the Pats D-Line and a new regime now in place, he could be someone who gets released during cuts or winds up on the trade block.

Bears DE Jamree Kromah: The Chiefs will get a firsthand look at Kromah in their preseason finale on Friday, which always helps in the evaluation process. A former 2024 UDFA out of James Madison, Komrah notched two total pressures and three defensive stops in 44 snaps through two preseason games for the Bears. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, he certainly fits the Steve Spagnuolo mold.

Seahawks DE Jared Ivey: A poor NFL Scouting Combine dropped Ivey to undrafted status, but after playing against him in preseason Week 2, I could see Steve Spagnuolo taking an interest. The 6-foot-6 and 273-pound defensive lineman has recorded two pressures and three stops on 49 defensive snaps through two preseason games. He was a big part of the Elijah Mitchell safety, commanding three blockers and freeing up the interior to blow up the play.

Jaguars DE BJ Green II: Green is one of the few players on the list that the Chiefs met with during the pre-draft process. The 6-foot-1 and 270-pound defensive lineman recorded seven pressures and one stop through two preseason games in 42 defensive snaps. He’s probably the most unique body type on this list, more reminiscent of Mike Danna in terms of his height, length, and strength.

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