Aug. 18, 2015; St. Joseph, MO: Outside linebacker Dezman Moses (54) battles rookie tight end JJames O’Shaughnessy (80) during training camp. (Emily DeShazer/The Topeka Capital-Journal)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs must pare down a roster of 76 players down to 53 by 3 p.m. Saturday, and chances are several players waived by the team will find new homes with new teams, but in 2013 the Chiefs were the team looking to rehaul their roster.
Holding the worst record in the league in 2012 provided the Chiefs with the first waiver priority. That meant every player waived by other teams first had to bypass the Chiefs before any other team had a chance, in essence a “second draft” following the 2013 college draft.
The team claimed seven players on Sept. 1, 2013, quickly overturning the bottom of the roster a week before the season began.
Four of the claimed players remain with the Chiefs now: safety Ron Parker, linebacker Dezman Moses, defensive tackle Jaye Howard and cornerback Marcus Cooper. The three others were tight end Sean McGrath, linebacker James-Michael Johnson and wide receiver Chad Hall, each of whom made a small mark with the team as well.
What happened to the players the Chiefs cast away? The team released six players that same day, and all played again in the NFL with varying success:
- Safety Bradley McDougald: Arguably the most accomplished of the group. McDougald returned to play one game with the Chiefs in 2013 before finding a new home in Tampa Bay and thriving. He has played in 35 games with 20 starts, including 15 last season. He’s gathered 107 tackles along with three interceptions.
- Tight end Kevin Brock: Played in 22 games with two starts, catching eight passes for 57 yards. Returned to play four games for Chiefs in 2013 season.
- Cornerback Jalil Brown: Brown has played win 20 games with four starts while picking up 23 tackles for Indianapolis and Miami.
- Defensive tackle Jerrell Powe: Powe returned to the Chiefs for two games in 2013, then headed to Houston. He’s played 18 games with four starts while making seven tackles with one sack.
- Linebacker Zac Diles: The veteran linebacker played just seven more games after leaving the Chiefs, picking up four tackles.
- Wide receiver Devon Wylie: Played in six games mainly on special teams as a punt returner with three different teams.
McDougald and Brown are the only two players who played in 2015. Five of the Chiefs picked up saw action last season. Only McGrath and Hall did not play.
The group waived by the Chiefs combined for 108 games played with 30 starts, eight catches for 57 yards, 141 tackles, three interceptions and one sack.
The seven players the Chiefs picked up dramatically exceeded those totals. Their combined output for Kansas City: 204 games played with 87 starts, 28 catches for 322 yards, 367 tackles, nine interceptions and 16.5 sacks.
The Chiefs may lose some talented players this weekend, but the “second draft” of 2013 continues to pay dividends.
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Matt Derrick is the publisher and lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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