Getty Arrowhead Stadium, where Armani Watts played for the last four seasons.
The Kansas City Chiefs are continuing to thin out their roster by parting ways with one of their veteran pass-catchers.
The Chiefs are releasing wide receiver Josh Gordon, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero August 30.
The #Chiefs are releasing WR Josh Gordon, per source.
Gordon has shown great character on the field and in the community since he got to Kansas City and the team is open to him returning. But it’s a numbers game right now and he’s the odd man out.
After being reinstated to the NFL in September of 2021, the Chiefs originally signed Gordon to the team’s practice squad on September 27. A week later, Gordon found himself being promoted to the Chiefs’ 53-player roster, but his impact wasn’t significant during his first season in Kansas City.
In 12 regular season games played last season, Gordon, 31, caught 5 passes on 14 targets for 32 yards and 1 touchdown, per Pro Football Reference.
On January 24, the Chiefs waived Gordon but then re-signed him to a reserve/futures deal in February.
Receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, rookie Skyy Moore, and Justin Watson are the projected wideouts that will make the 53-player roster in Kansas City. Gordon didn’t perform well enough in training camp or the preseason to beat out any of those aforementioned pass-catchers for a roster spot.
Chiefs Release 2 Defensive Tackles
Minutes after the news of Gordon’s release broke, more news broke regarding the Chiefs releasing two defensive linemen.
Kansas City is releasing veteran defensive tackles Danny Shelton and Taylor Stallworth, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Stallworth’s agent, Brett Tessler.
Chiefs have released veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton, per source.
Shelton, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs on August 9 as a potential run-stuffer for Kansas City’s defense. However, the play of rotational pieces such as Tershawn Wharton and Khalen Saunders during the preseason made Shelton’s stint in Kansas City very short.
Stallworth signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs on April 5. His short stint in Kansas City is due to the same reasons mentioned for Shelton.
With Gordon, Shelton, and Stallworth being cut, the defending AFC West champions must make 19 more transactions by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday to get down to the league-mandated 53-player roster.
Twitter Reacts to Gordon’s Release
Twitter users reacted to the Chiefs releasing Gordon.
“Hopefully they sign him back in the future,” one Twitter user wrote. “Even tho he didn’t have many big plays and or “huge” stat numbers he did come in clutch when we needed him.”
@TomPelissero @ArrowheadPride Hopefully they sign him back in the future. Even tho he didn’t have many big plays and or “huge” stat numbers he did come in clutch when we needed him.
“Shame it didn’t work out, hope he sticks on somewhere else or that he can land on our practice squad,” another user wrote.
@TomPelissero shame it didn’t work out, hope he sticks on somewhere else or that he can land on our practice squad
“Yeah, Justin Watson and Fountain took that WR5 and 6 spot. Just no room for Josh Gordon, hopefully he get another shot and balls out,” another user wrote.
@TomPelissero Yeah, Justin Watson and Fountain took that WR5 and 6 spot. Just no room for Josh Gordon, hopefully he get another shot and balls out 🙏
“Picture of class in New England and Seattle after that, problem is he isn’t fast enough anymore but teams sign him & whip their fans into a frenzy like they got jacked Jerry Rice. 2012 was 10 years ago & Josh, bless his heart missed about 5 of them,” another user wrote.
“Literally the biggest waste of talent in recent memory. Blame him, or the NFL substance abuse policy. Either way, the facts are the facts,” another user wrote.
“Cowboys should take a flier on Josh Gordon… They’ve taken chances on riskier players and have given multiple chances to the same kinds of players, Gordon would be cheap and if he’s a problem cut him…” another user wrote.