Chiefs Cut Former Third-Round Talent Unexpectedly: Report

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The Kansas City Chiefs have made a roster swap ahead of mandatory minicamp.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday, June 11, according to KPRC 2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson.

First, Wilson reported that the Chiefs have waived former Cleveland Browns third-rounder Siaki Ika from the 90-man roster. The 24-year-old defensive tackle was competing for a depth role in Kansas City’s trenches.

Ika was another Brett Veach reclamation project. The Chiefs’ general manager loves betting on talent, and the 6-foot-3, 335-pound nose tackle was a third-round talent, as stated above.

Despite that, Ika failed to make an impact in KC, similar to his stints in Cleveland and Philadelphia. Now, the Chiefs will be moving on from the former Baylor and LSU product, too, assuming Wilson’s reporting is accurate.

For their corresponding move, the Chiefs are adding yet another tight end to the roster behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, per Wilson again, signing former Philadelphia Eagles prospect Kevin Foelsch.

This is a curious and unexpected decision by Kansas City, considering rookie tight end Jake Briningstool and veteran Robert Tonyan have both gotten off to a hot start at Chiefs OTAs. But it’s no secret that head coach Andy Reid likes his tight ends, and perhaps this is a sign that 2024 draft pick Jared Wiley is still a ways away from returning from knee surgery.

Chiefs’ Kevin Foelsch Signing Makes Baylor Cupp Cut More Confusing

Foelsch’s addition makes seven tight ends on the Chiefs’ 90-man roster, including the five above and undrafted rookie Tre Watson.

For a UDFA, Watson has been absent from a notable number of OTA practice sessions so far, but it’s been unclear why that is. With that in mind, Foelsch could be another camp body at the position to help Gray, Briningstool and Tonyan with the workload.

After all, Kelce hasn’t done a ton at age 35, and Wiley is sidelined with injury as mentioned above. If Watson’s absence has been ongoing, that would leave just three tight ends at OTAs.

Either way, all of this makes Baylor Cupp’s departure even more of a head-scratcher.

The promising 2024 UDFA seemed to win the Chiefs’ trust late in the season, earning a practice squad elevation down the stretch. At the very least, it felt as though KC would continue his development this summer, and then Cupp’s name was surprisingly listed in a round of cuts after the NFL draft.

Cupp is still available, but he’s currently trying out with the New York Jets at their mandatory minicamp this week. So, in comes the 6-foot-4 Foelsch — who has never appeared in a regular season game — for the moment.

The move does beg the question, though, if tight end depth was an issue, why not keep Cupp to begin with?

Chiefs’ Interior Defensive Line Depth Narrows

As the tight end room grows larger, the interior defensive line loses a body with Ika getting shown the door.

There isn’t too much depth behind starters Chris Jones and Mike Pennel at this time. Although more moves could be coming.

Currently, Kansas City has Marlon Tuipulotu, newcomer Jerry Tillery, draft pick Omarr Norman-Lott, 2024 UDFA Fabien Lovett Sr., and 2025 UDFA Coziah Izzard as defensive tackle depth.

With a few veteran players like Mike Danna, Charles Omenihu and Malik Herring on the roster, who could shift inside in a pinch. This is definitely an area where a late-offseason veteran signing could be warranted.

Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller