After missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2012, and for the first time in coach Andy Reid’s tenure, the Kansas City Chiefs start their attempted comeback campaign in less than two weeks.
The Chiefs face AFC West division rivals the Denver Broncos, who ended Kansas City’s nine-year run of dominance at the top of the division, in their season opener at home September 14.
As the Chiefs continue to fine-tune their roster, the team made a sudden cut of a physically imposing defensive lineman Wednesday morning.
The Kansas City Chiefs terminated the practice-squad contract of defensive tackle Cole Brevard on Wednesday, according to a team announcement, cutting him loose two days after re-signing him and replacing him with defensive tackle Marcus Harris.
Harris now holds the same interior-line spot he lost days earlier, a swap that shows how unsettled the back end of Kansas City’s roster remains as the regular season opener looms.
Cole Brevard’s Practice Squad Exit
Brevard had only rejoined the roster two days earlier. The Chiefs added him to the practice squad on Aug. 31, one day after waiving him in final cuts to trim their roster to the required 53-player limit.
Harris is the same player Kansas City waived that Monday to open a spot for waiver claims of Bryson Eason and Jack Pyburn. He cleared waivers and landed back on the practice squad in Brevard’s place, according to KCTV5.
Cole Brevard’s Path to the Chiefs and What Comes Next
Brevard signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent this spring after going ignored in the 2026 NFL draft. His deal ran three years and roughly $3.11 million, with $60,000 guaranteed at signing, KPRC-TV reporter Aaron Wilson noted.
At 6-foot-3 and 346 pounds, Brevard was the biggest body on Kansas City’s offseason roster, pitched as a developmental space-eater behind incumbent nose tackle Khyiris Tonga. He did not survive the cut to 53 and was waived Aug. 30 before the Chiefs brought him back the next day.
Brevard arrived at Kansas City with a well-traveled resume. A four-star recruit at Carmel High School who also spent time at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory, he drew offers from Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame and Ohio State, ranking among the top defensive tackles nationally in the 2020 class. He ultimately signed with Penn State.
That stint produced only one game of action before Brevard transferred to Purdue, where he started 23 of 37 games and posted eight tackles for loss over three seasons. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and an honorable-mention All-Big Ten nod from the league’s media panel after the 2024 season, according to his Texas bio.
He transferred once more in 2025, playing all 13 games for the Longhorns and making his first start as a Longhorn at Kentucky, finishing the season with 18 tackles and one tackle for loss.
Across five college seasons, Brevard finished with 56 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries, according to Sports-Reference.
Brevard is now a free agent. Practice-squad releases do not pass through waivers, so any of the other 31 teams can sign him to their own practice squad immediately. No new destination had been reported as of Wednesday morning. With Harris occupying the roster spot Brevard briefly held, a quick reunion in Kansas City looks like a reach, unless another interior lineman goes down.
Chiefs Suddenly Cut 6-Foot-3, 346-Pound DT Before NFL Opener