Chiefs Part Ways With 8-Year Vet in Favor of Athletic Rookie: Report

Getty The Kansas City Chiefs have released veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

The Kansas City Chiefs made another roster move after the Week 2 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A-to-Z Sports Chiefs reporter Charles Goldman relayed the news on September 19, stating: “The Chiefs have terminated the practice squad contract of DT Danny Shelton in order to make room for CB Darius Rush.”

The latter had just been released from the 53-man roster on Saturday, September 16, with Chris Jones taking his place. After clearing waivers, Rush decided to return to the KC practice squad rather than the team that drafted him or the reserves of another organization — assuming he had other offers.

The athletic freak of a cornerback was only drafted a few months ago in April, with the Indianapolis Colts spending a fifth-round selection on him. Later, the Chiefs claimed him off waivers after the 53-man cutdown.

Chiefs End Danny Shelton Experiment With Cut

Shelton came into Kansas City as a bigger name that never panned out inside this system. The massive nose tackle was a former first-round pick in 2015 and he had a solid career at the NFL level with Cleveland and New England before bouncing to Detroit and New York (Giants).

With the Chiefs, he was a practice squad reserve from the jump, logging one appearance during the 2022 campaign. The contributions were enough to earn the eight-year pro a Super Bowl ring, but not enough to keep him satisfied.

“My mindset is not to make this team, but to be on the field,” Shelton told reporters during the preseason. “I want to win my third ring. In order to do that, I need to be on the field and contribute. [That’s] not to say being on the practice squad last year, I didn’t contribute — but that’s not the lifestyle I want to live.”

That mentality plus analysts and media noting that Shelton looked “noticeably slimmer” this summer led some to believe that a renaissance season might come to pass in 2023 — especially with Jones holding out to start the year.

That didn’t happen, however, and Shelton was cut at the 53-man deadline once again with DT Matt Dickerson briefly making the roster ahead of him. After Rush took Dickerson’s spot, the latter was later elevated for Weeks 1 and 2 with Shelton wasting away on the practice squad.

Now he’ll get the opportunity to sign somewhere else, if he chooses to do so. Following his release from the practice squad, it appears the Shelton experience has finally come to an end in KC.

Insider Shares Where the Chiefs Stand in Terms of Cap Space After the Danny Shelton Cut

On September 20, Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick informed:

“The @NFLPA salary cap report Wednesday shows the Chiefs with $730,237 in cap space, a jump of around $600k. That doesn’t include the [Patrick] Mahomes restructure or release of Shelton from practice squad. Chiefs should have a bit more than $3.2 million after Mahomes contract hits.”

Considering where Kansas City found themselves a couple of weeks ago financially, $3.2 million might as well be a fortune. Obviously, that’s not the case in the NFL world, but the extra spending money should come in handy should situations arise throughout the season.

For now, the Chiefs look to have their roster mostly set on both offense and defense, but you never know when an injury may occur. At 1-1, their next matchup comes on September 24 against the 0-2 Chicago Bears.