Getty Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has made some new changes to the roster.
Following their preseason outing versus the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs have made a few changes to their 90-man roster.
Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick relayed the news — which was also confirmed by Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney — on August 15.
Chiefs have signed two players this morning, LB Olakunle Fatukasi and CB Duron Lowe.
One move to accommodate the signings was the waiving of CB Anthony Witherstone.
My early tweet plugged in Fatukasi’s older brother’s first name who is with Jacksonville. My apologies.
“Chiefs have signed two players this morning, LB Olakunle Fatukasi and CB Duron Lowe,” Derrick announced. “One move to accommodate the signings was the waiving of CB Anthony Witherstone.”
Head coach Andy Reid included Witherstone in his postgame injury update on August 13, noting that the undrafted rookie “hurt his big toe.” This is the second time the Chiefs have cut Witherstone loose this summer. After his first release, KC re-signed the CB due to the Nazeeh Johnson injury, but now they appear to have replaced him with Lowe.
Chiefs New LB Olakunle Fatukasi Is Brother of Jaguars DT Folorunso Fatukasi
Derrick actually got Olakunle Fatukasi confused with Folorunso Fatukasi in his initial post, which he apologized for above. The 6-foot-2 linebacker is the younger brother of the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle that was just paid $30 million in 2022.
According to Pro Football Reference, Olakunle Fatukasi appeared in 13 NFL games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers. From there, he joined the Denver Broncos practice squad, and entered 2023 activities with the New England Patriots.
The 24-year-old has six career tackles (four solo), and should get an opportunity to battle for a practice squad role in KC after the Chiefs lost UDFA linebacker Isaiah Moore to an injury settlement.
A teammate of Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco, Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline once scouted Fatukasi as a “smart, tough linebacker who plays bigger than his listed size” (240 pounds). The draft expert continued: “Breaks down well, works his hands throughout the action, and plays with excellent balance. Quick to read and diagnose plays, immediately locates ball handlers, and flows well laterally to the action. Fluid pedaling in reverse and gets depth on pass drops. Takes proper angles to plays and wraps up tackling.”
For negatives, Pauline highlighted Fatukasi’s “average closing burst” and “lack of height [that] creates mismatches in coverage.” Overall, the PFN analyst thought he profiled as a backup middle linebacker that must “stand out” on special teams at the NFL level.
Chiefs New CB Duron Lowe Is Local Prospect From Overland Park, Kansas City
Lowe is another local kid courtesy of KC general manager Brett Veach. According to 247 Sports, he’s from Overland Park, Kansas City, and went to high school at St. Thomas Aquinas.
After the news, Arrowhead Pride analyst Ron Kopp Jr. congratulated his friend, Lowe, on such a great accomplishment. And the story he relayed was unique.
A different kind of trip up to #Chiefs training camp this time! @Duron_lowe_1
The screenshotted Facebook status from 2010 read: “Went to Chiefs Training Camp with Austin Sanders, Duron Lowe, Manik Kapoww, and Zach Smith.” Lowe also liked the post at the time.
In his new comment on X, Kopp added: “A different kind of trip up to Chiefs training camp this time! @Duron_lowe_1.”
Kopp also shared a few clips of Lowe, including a pass breakup with the Los Angeles Rams in August of 2022.
This angle of @Duron_lowe_1‘s PBU. 😮💨
📺 @ABC7 | 📱 t.co/4beUdmlymg
The undrafted rookie out of UTEP and Liberty weighs in at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds. Like Fatukasi, he spent some time inside of the Bucs organization since entering the league but has yet to appear in a regular season NFL outing.
Kopp drew attention to his pro day numbers after the signing, voicing that it’s “impossible to sleep on [Lowe’s] numbers 👀.” The cornerback recorded a 35-inch vertical jump, 10-foot and one-inch broad jump, and 4.39-second forty-yard dash in March of 2022.
He’ll join a deep CB core that has been dealing with injuries — the latest being rookie seventh rounder Nic Jones.