Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during the 2023 preseason.
As NFL waivers cleared on August 30, the day after the 53-man cutdown, the Kansas City Chiefs only saw one prospect plucked off waivers. That player was rookie cornerback Kahlef Hailassie, who was claimed by the Cleveland Browns.
Waiver claims!
Younger Chiefs bubble candidates (subject to waivers) like QB Shane Buechele, RB Deneric Prince, OL Darian Kinnard, TE Matt Bushman, DE Joshua Kaindoh, CB Ekow Boye-Doe and DE Truman Jones all went unclaimed, among others.
Browns Claim Chiefs CB Kahlef Hailassie After Preseason Matchup
The Browns had a front row seat to watch Hailassie during the preseason finale on August 26. The UDFA CB registered a tackle for a loss and a pass defense as well as three solo tackles. He also had a pretty interception two weeks before against the New Orleans Saints.
Chiefs rookie CB Kahlef Hailassie with a great interception, reading the eyes and jumping the throw from fellow rookie Jake Haener.
The former WKU Hilltopper Hailassie has made a few splash plays today.
Some had Hailassie and/or Boye-Doe pushing for a roster spot after injuries to Nazeeh Johnson and Nic Jones, but after the latter’s ailment was reported to be less serious than initially expected, there was simply no room for either of the promising undrafted cornerbacks on the roster.
The silver lining for KC is that Boye-Doe did slip through waivers, remaining as a practice squad candidate with loads of potential.
Chiefs Practice Squad Signings Begin Rolling in After NFL Waivers Clear
Just after waivers cleared, practice squad signings began being reported. The KC Star’s Sam McDowell informed: “The Chiefs are planning to sign cornerback Reese Taylor to the practice squad, a source told The Star. As I mentioned yesterday, Taylor has been lining up primarily in the slot during camp/preseason.”
Next up was veteran interior offensive lineman Austin Reiter, courtesy of Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick. “Chiefs are signing veteran center Austin Reiter to the practice squad, per source,” he relayed. “Reiter provides valuable depth on the interior and is a solid veteran presence in the offensive line group.”
Veterans Deon Bush (safety/special teams) and Danny Shelton (defensive tackle) will both return on the practice squad too, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, as well as offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick (Derrick). Remember, being that Godrick is part of the International Player Pathway program, he gets a roster exemption and will be allowed as an extra 17th member of the KC practice squad if they choose in 2023.
Later, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor stated that the aforementioned Bushman, Prince, RB La’Mical Perine and WR Cornell Powell will all re-sign to the practice squad too. As did linebacker Cole Christiansen (Derrick), who becomes the 10th member so far.
Boye-Doe’s status was announced by McDowell at 1:22 p.m. CST — as the local Kansas story returned on a practice squad deal. Then, a quarterback signing was reported at 2:17 p.m. CST as Chris Oladokun elected to re-sign in KC (Derrick).
Finally, the Chiefs released the full practice squad roster on the evening of August 30. All the reported names were accurate, with the following additions: DE Truman Jones, OL Darian Kinnard, DT Chris Williams and DT Matt Dickerson (who was cut from the active roster to make room for waiver claim Darius Rush).
In other news, Derrick also reported that “WR Nikko Remigio, LB Olakunle Fatukasi and OG Jerome Carvin all cleared waivers with injury designations. They revert to the reserve/injured list with the Chiefs and will be on IR this season unless the club reaches an injury settlement with them.” Meaning, you either won’t see these three in a Chiefs uniform until 2024, or they will become free agents after injury settlements.