Andy Reid to Cut Ties With 2 Chiefs Players for Patrick Mahomes After Giving Up on QB

The preseason loss hasn’t dampened the spirits of the Kansas City Chiefs. As it heads towards the regular season, Andy Reid is pushing the envelope to add, cut, and waive players to build the perfect roster around Patrick Mahomes. “The core group (offense) will be back in its entirety, so the goal is to try to build on it and get even better and try to get back to some of the explosive passing plays that we’ve done in years past,” Mahomes said.

As the Chiefs make roster cuts, the coach is strategically adding pieces around Patrick Mahomes that will help the QB more. And the latest move is to invite six players for a visit. As reported by Matt Derrick, the team might have plans to add those players to the practice squad. However, here is the thing: they might have to cut two players from its roster to make space for these six, according to a ChiefsDigest.com reporter.

As Derrick explained, “The Chiefs officially have three open spots on the practice squad. Robert Tonyan will move to the active roster to make four available. If all six sign, two spots will need to be made available.” The players being considered include running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, defensive tackles Brodric Martin and Zacch Pickens, defensive ends Ethan Downs and Tyreke Smith, and free safety Jammie Robinson. This squad will need to step up in case of injuries or other needs that arise. So, the coach is careful.

That leaves a question of who could be the two players to get cut. Adding these players would give the Kansas City Chiefs extra depth across multiple positions. It will now depend on the visits and the Chiefs to determine which players earn spots and how the Chiefs manage their limited openings.

It is clear what Clyde Edwards-Helaire brings to the table. If he’s brought back, CEH would simply add another layer of depth at running back, with the advantage of being fully versed in Andy Reid’s playbook and system.

The rest of the names are less familiar.

• Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, a 2023 third-round pick out of South Carolina, has played in 26 games with three starts for the Bears. Chicago’s new coaching staff decided to move on, though the front-office tie is notable here: Bears GM Ryan Poles, who drafted Pickens, spent years with Kansas City before heading to Chicago.
• Brodric Martin, another third-rounder from that same draft class, was selected by Detroit. At 6-foot-5, he’s slightly bigger than Pickens, but he’s seen the field far less – five games and one start across two seasons with just four tackles to show for it.
• Tyreke Smith, a 2022 fifth-round pick, has had difficulty finding his footing in the league. The 6-foot-3 pass rusher appeared once for the Seahawks before short stints with the Cardinals led to two more games. Injuries and limited opportunities have kept him from establishing a role so far.
• On the edge, rookie Ethan Downs stands out as more of a developmental project. The undrafted 6-foot-4 defensive end was briefly with the Jaguars this summer after a four-year run at Oklahoma, where he piled up 12.5 sacks and 110 tackles in 51 games.
• Finally, safety Jammie Robinson offers perhaps the clearest niche. Drafted by Carolina in the fifth round in 2023, he played in 21 games (with two starts), mostly on special teams.

And all of this comes amid the Chiefs waiving their QB.

Chiefs’ QB announced his fate to the Chiefsdom

The Chiefs are sticking with their long-standing two-quarterback strategy on the 53-man roster, leaving Mahomes and Gardner Minshew firmly locked in. That decision made it clear that backup quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun were the most likely roster casualties. And that saw Oladokun and Zappe out.

Oladokun handled the news with optimism. He took to X and wrote, “Bad news: I was waived today. Good news: if I didn’t have the day off today, I wouldn’t have been able to slam dunk a 40-yard wedge shot for birdie.” Oladokun’s waiver was hardly a surprise. With the Chiefs’ two-quarterback policy and Minshew widely regarded as one of the best backups Mahomes has ever had, his spot on the 53-man roster was going to be at risk. Oladokun has been here before, having been waived and re-signed in the past.

He went unclaimed after the waiver deadline and was signed to Kansas City’s practice squad as per ChiefsDigest’s Matt Derrick. Well, on the practice squad, he can provide organizational depth behind Mahomes and Minshew while remaining available for potential elevation to the active roster. It seems this positivity is what often helps the player keep their hope up.