It had appeared that Kansas City Chiefs veteran cornerback Kelvin Joseph was “trending” toward making the 53-man roster after the preseason finale.
The former Dallas Cowboys second-round talent had performed well this summer when healthy, earning the attention of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and rotating in with the first-team defense at times. He even started the final preseason outing — although it’s debatable whether that’s a good or bad sign.
Even so, when Joseph posted the folded hands/praying emoji — “🙏” — on social media on the morning of August 26, most fans weren’t sure if it meant he had made or missed the cut. Considering some use that emoji to symbolize that they are “blessed,” while others might use it to show their “thanks” or their faith in religion.
A couple of hours after Joseph dropped the one-character message, KC Star beat reporter Sam McDowell helped to explain its meaning.
“The Chiefs have cut cornerback Kelvin Joseph, per source,” McDowell informed. “He was battling for a final spot in the secondary.”
Kelvin Joseph ‘Absent From Practice’ on Monday, Along With 2 Other Chiefs CBs
Three Chiefs cornerbacks were officially “absent from practice” on August 26 according to Chiefs Digest beat writer Matt Derrick. Per Derrick, this would typically imply that they have been cut.
Along with Joseph, 2023 undrafted prosect Ekow Boye-Doe and 2024 UDFA Miles Battle were not in attendance. These departures would whittle the competitive Kansas City cornerback battle down to eight — not counting nickel safety Chamarri Conner.
Four of those players are expected to make the 53-man roster without issue. They are recent draft picks Trent McDuffie, Nazeeh Johnson, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams.
From there, things get a little tricky, but the Joseph cut increases the chances of Nic Jones, Keith Taylor or drafted rookie Kamal Hadden surviving the cutdown. The final cornerback remaining appears to be UDFA rookie D.J. Miller — an expected cut by all accounts.
Chiefs Could Still Look to Add Cornerback via Trade, Signing or Waiver Wire
Of course, Kansas City could always pull a JuJu Smith-Schuster at the cornerback position and either sign, trade for or claim a new player that they like on the waiver wire after the cutdown.
Derrick talked about the potential of a CB addition during his final 53-man projection on August 23, writing: “Taylor has provided the most production at corner and that gives him a leg up in the roster battle. But don’t be surprised if the Chiefs go shopping for affordable depth here between now and Tuesday.”
Derrick only kept five cornerbacks in that projection, including Taylor. Instead, he chose to part ways with Joseph, Boye-Doe, Jones and Hadden.
Chiefs’ 53-Man Roster Cut Tracker
As of Monday, August 26, at 2 p.m. (CST), there have been 13 reported Chiefs cuts.
Along with the three cornerbacks listed above, fourth-string quarterback Ian Book was an early cut announcement on Monday morning. As were wide receiver Kyle Sheets, offensive lineman Nick Torres and defensive lineman Alex Gubner.
Those four were confirmed by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, McDowell and Jesse Newell of the KC Star and Associated Press reporter Herbie Teope, respectively, while Derrick reported the remainder of the 13 cuts based on who was not present at practice.
The final five reported cuts were wide receiver Phillip Brooks, tight end Geor’Quarius Spivey, offensive lineman Griffin McDowell, defensive lineman Owen Carney, safety Tyree Gillespie and backup long snapper Randen Plattner.
We’ll continue to monitor early departures ahead of tomorrow’s August 27 cutdown.
