Sometimes fans disagree with a front office’s decision during roster cuts. For Chiefs Kingdom, that occurred to some extent last summer when defensive end Tim Ward ended up being waived after the final preseason game.
The New York Jets promptly poached Ward off waivers and fans weren’t all too pleased to lose the promising pass rusher. At the time, KC Star beat reporter Sam McDowell tweeted that “the Chiefs wanted [Ward] back for the practice squad.” He added that the Jets claiming him “obviously nixes those plans.”
The Colts have claimed cornerback BoPete Keyes, and the Jets have claimed edge rusher Tim Ward. The Chiefs wanted both back for the practice squad. This, obviously, nixes those plans.
Today on August 16, Ward was released by New York during the initial round of cuts.
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Ward Struggled Away From Kansas City
Many thought Ward would flourish with less competition around him but that didn’t end up happening. The defensive end had little to no impact with the Jets, with zero sacks and one quarterback pressure over 191 defensive snaps.
Theoretically, the Chiefs could make a push to bring Ward home on the cheap if he clears waivers. Edge rusher has been one of the greatest offseason needs but KC has done a good job filling it.
After drafting George Karlaftis at the end of round one, they signed veteran Carlos Dunlap. They’ve also brought in a collection of developmental pieces over the past year or so, like Kehinde Oginni Hassan and more recently, Azur Kamara.
Joshua Kaindoh was also drafted to help solve the position in 2021, along with undrafted prospect Malik Herring — and we haven’t even mentioned Frank Clark or Mike Danna yet.
It’s unclear if general manager Brett Veach is still looking to improve his suddenly deep room of pass rushers. The Chiefs actually cut defensive end Austin Edwards earlier this afternoon so a Ward return would negate that decision.
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Jets Cuts 2 More Former Chiefs
Ironically, the Jets cut two more ex-Chiefs on August 16 — defensive back Luq Barcoo and wide receiver Rashard Davis.
Barcoo was with Kansas City this spring but failed to make an impression as Veach stacked up on secondary in the draft. After signing in March, the cornerback was cut in June.
Obviously, he never played a game for the Chiefs organization.
Davis didn’t suit up in a regular season game with KC either, although he did play during the 2019 preseason after earning a roster spot at rookie minicamp. The speedy special teamer was eventually waived during the final roster cutdown.
Later, he did briefly play for the Tennessee Titans before excelling outside of the NFL in the Canadian league and the USFL. He momentarily made some noise at Jets training camp before faltering during the preseason opener.
Chiefs Retain WR on Injured List
According to the NFL transaction wire, Gary Jennings Jr. was placed on the injured reserve after reportedly being waived on August 15.
The West Virginia product has bounced around different NFL practice squads since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick in 2019. Amazingly, the Chiefs are his seventh franchise despite only appearing in one game with the Miami Dolphins.
The perennial camp body offers some ability on special teams, but not enough to earn him playing time throughout his career. He’s suffered various injuries over the years and the latest was a concussion.
For now, he’ll stick with KC but he won’t count on the current 85-man roster.
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Ex-Chiefs Fan-Favorite Pass Rusher Cut by AFC Foe, Hits Waivers