Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach says the team’s roster is not a “finished product” as he and head coach Andy Reid prepare to make their final decisions ahead of Sunday’s 53-man roster deadline.
Veach told KSHB’s Ari Wolfe and Trent Green during Friday’s preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks that the Chiefs are already communicating with other NFL teams and looking for opportunities to improve the roster.
“Every year, these last few weeks are tough. You have a lot of guys that have done great things for us over the years and a lot of great competitions in the position groups,” Veach said. “Now it’s just a matter of stacking our board like we do during the draft process and targeting positions of need and exchanging dialogues with other teams and trying to get our roster better.”
Veach then made it clear Kansas City’s initial 53-man roster will not necessarily be its finished product.
“We have a lot of talent on both sides, but it certainly isn’t a finished product,” Veach said. “There are areas that we can improve, and we will continue to do that throughout the season.”
Brett Veach Reveals How Chiefs Will Make Tough Roster Decisions
With the preseason complete, Kansas City must reduce its 90-man roster to 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday.
While those decisions will become public in a matter of days, Veach said the Chiefs have been evaluating their roster throughout training camp.
The front office and coaching staff meet after every practice to exchange information, review grades and evaluate positional needs.
“Communication and exchanging ideas is certainly something our staff being together for so long is really good at exchanging ideas,” Veach said. “When we go to training camp, we meet every single night. We don’t meet once a week or every other week. Every single practice, right after the position meetings, Coach Reid and his staff come back, and my staff come in the room, and we go over grades every single day.”
By the time the Chiefs reach the cutdown deadline, Veach said much of the evaluation has already taken place.
“We are exchanging ideas. By the time we get to this time in the preseason, the process is mostly played out,” Veach said. “So there are position battles here that we are going to evaluate tape and see what guys make the final cut. As we always say, we like the guys to make the decisions for us. We don’t like to make decisions for them.”
Chiefs Begin Making Moves After Brett Veach’s Roster Message
Kansas City began acting on those evaluations Saturday.
Wesley Bissainthe became the first reported player waived as the Chiefs started their roster cuts. The rookie linebacker joined Kansas City after going undrafted out of Miami in April.
Bissainthe signed a three-year, $3.11 million rookie contract that included $160,000 guaranteed, according to Spotrac.
His next step could take him back to college rather than an NFL practice squad. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bissainthe is weighing a return to Miami while fighting in court for another season of college eligibility.
The Chiefs also waived rookie cornerback Zelmar Vedder, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. Vedder was consistently one of the first players on the practice field during training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Kansas City acquired rookie offensive tackle Diego Pounds in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. According to ESPN’s Nate Taylor, the Chiefs are sending Baltimore a conditional 2028 sixth-round draft pick.
Pounds entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Baltimore.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach Teases What’s Coming as Final 53-Man Roster Decisions Begin