Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach watches warmups during practice at Chiefs Training Camp on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in St. Joseph. Dominick Williams dowilliams@kcstar.com
The Chiefs wrapped up the preseason with Friday’s game against the Chicago Bears, and the players have had a few days off to rest.
Not so for the front office. The Chiefs not only have to reduce the roster to 53 players by Tuesday’s cutdown day, but the team keeps an eye out for possible additions.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, assistant general managers Chris Shea and Mike Bradway, and Ryan Nutt and Tim Terry, who are vice presidents of player personnel, have gathered recently to discuss which players might become available Tuesday.
“From the Hall of Fame game throughout the preseason, our pro department, they each have a handful of teams that they’re watching,” Bradway said earlier this month at training camp. “They’re probably watching 25, 30 guys per team, mostly younger players with a mix of young vets that they feel like maybe on the bubble that could potentially help maybe our 53 but also could be practice squad guys down the road.
“So they’re tagging those guys in our system. And those are the guys that get funneled to myself, Chris, Veach, Nutt and Tim Terry, and then we’ll get together around the Bears game, and we’ll meet for a couple days, and just kind of condense that list. Maybe there’s only four or five guys that legitimately we target.”
The Chiefs have some difficult decisions to make when it comes to which players to keep or cut. And there are some who the Chiefs hope to put on the practice squad.
But the front office also keeps its lines of communication open with other teams. The Chiefs are low on the waiver wire, based on last year’s success, which makes things a bit more challenging.
“Right now, when we’re talking to every team in the league,” Bradway said when the Chiefs were in St. Joseph. “All our contacts, we’re just gathering information now. So whether that would mean potentially trading for a guy doing a player for player swap, maybe there could be a guy that we think might be able to claim. Yeah, we’re going to be active.
“I mean, we’re gonna watch as much tape as possible. Maybe it just doesn’t work out, but we’re gonna identify certain players that we think could help us now or down the road and see where it goes.”
The Chiefs have been active in the past week, trading receiver Skyy Moore and bringing back defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi.