The Kansas City Chiefs are approaching one of their biggest roster decisions of the summer, but the team isn’t ruling out a last-minute addition before the 2026 season begins.
Kansas City has one preseason game remaining against the Seattle Seahawks before trimming its roster to 53 players. While most of the roster has started to take shape around Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and the team’s other established players, assistant general manager Mike Bradway said the Chiefs are willing to consider trades and other opportunities that become available.
The message from Kansas City’s front office was simple: The Chiefs are “open for business.”
Chiefs Are ‘Open for Anything’ Ahead of Final Roster Cuts
Bradway addressed the possibility of adding another player while speaking with reporters before Kansas City’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Once we get that final preseason game and we have all the information from teams, guys that might be available and what it might take to get them,” Bradway told reporters. “I think you balance out, is it worth giving up a future pick for a guy? You have to be sure that that guy is going to come in and have a role so you aren’t just wasting assets.”
Bradway made clear that Kansas City won’t make a trade simply because a player becomes available. Any addition would need to fit what the coaching staff plans to do on offense, defense or special teams.
“There’s got to be buy-in from the personnel side and, obviously, the coaches,” Bradway said. “Are they going to use them whether it’s offense, defense or special teams? There could be an opportunity for a player-for-player type of move. We are certainly open for business, open for anything.”
One potential complication is Kansas City’s salary-cap situation. According to the NFL Players Association’s public salary-cap report, the Chiefs have approximately $3.5 million in available cap space.
Assistant general manager Chris Shea said the organization intentionally tries to maintain enough flexibility to react when unexpected players become available.
“Retaining flexibility to be able to entertain the unforeseen is an important aspect of how we try to structure our cap management philosophy,” Shea said. “We really want to present coach [Andy Reid] and Brett with the flexibility to entertain smart roster moves that are independent of cap constraints that we may have.”
ESPN Projects Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce & a Younger Chiefs Roster
The Chiefs also face several decisions involving players already on the roster.
ESPN’s projected 53-man roster has Kansas City keeping three quarterbacks: Mahomes, Justin Fields and rookie Garrett Nussmeier. Mahomes remains the clear starter as he continues his return from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in December.
Running back Kenneth Walker III, one of Kansas City’s biggest offseason additions, is projected to lead a four-man running back group alongside Emari Demercado, Emmett Johnson and Brashard Smith.
At wide receiver, ESPN projects seven players to survive cuts: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton, Cyrus Allen, Nikko Remigio, Andrew Armstrong and Jalen Royals. Allen has emerged as one of the notable names during training camp, particularly because of his development as a route runner.
Kelce, meanwhile, leads a projected four-player tight end room that also includes Noah Gray, Jared Wiley and Jake Briningstool. Kelce led Kansas City in receiving last season and has received praise from Reid and teammates for his conditioning and work throughout training camp.
Chiefs Could Target Offensive Line Help Before Week 1
One position worth watching during cutdown week is the offensive line.
ESPN projects Josh Simmons, Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Jaylon Moore among the Chiefs’ offensive linemen, but the report identified the group’s depth as an area Kansas City could potentially address through waivers.
The Chiefs also still have a decision to make at right tackle, where Moore and Kahlil Benson have competed for playing time.
Defensively, Kansas City has several young players surrounding established veterans Jones, George Karlaftis and Nick Bolton. Rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane and second-year cornerback Nohl Williams are among the projected members of a secondary that underwent significant changes during the offseason.
The Chiefs have one final opportunity to evaluate their roster when they face Seattle in their preseason finale. After that, Kansas City’s attention turns to the final 53 and any players around the league who unexpectedly become available.
Chiefs Make It Clear They’re ‘Open for Business’ Ahead of Major 53-Man Roster Decisions