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Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (left) with head coach Andy Reid (right).
The Kansas City Chiefs filled roster holes through the NFL draft and undrafted free agency, and now the team is making a subtraction from the roster.
The team announced this week that they waived second-year running back ShunDerrick Powell, clearing a spot on their 90-man roster. The move came months after the team gave Powell a new contract and a ticket back for offseason practices and comes amid competition for roster spots in the backfield.
ShunDerrick Powell Looking for New NFL Team
Powell came into the NFL last season, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. The Chiefs had shown some initial interest, giving Powell a pre-draft visit but ultimately passing on him. They grabbed him at the second opportunity, giving Powell a reserve/futures contract after the completion of the season in January.
Powell had earned some buzz coming out of college, with NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein praising his explosiveness, while also pointing out some flaws that could hold him back in the NFL.
“Explosive back with run-and-catch potential but size that could knock him off some draft boards,” Zierlein wrote. “Powell is twitched-up with the ability to hurt defenses with his elusiveness. However, he lacks efficiency as a decision-maker and is too easy to bring down with the ball in his hands. He will need to prove himself as a top-flight pass-catching option with gadget-run potential, but he’s a longshot to make a roster regardless.”
The move gives the Chiefs more room to make an addition to the 90-man roster they will bring into training camp.
Chiefs Boosting Their Backfield
The Chiefs have already made some big additions to their backfield this offseason, starting with the signing of reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to fill the top spot on the depth chart.
The team also traded up in the fifth round of the NFL draft to land Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson. Ryne Nutt, Chiefs vice president of player personnel, told reporters that Johnson was a top target for the team.
“We went through the running backs, and Emmett was one of the top guys we watched,” Nutt said. “We loved him. Brett was super high on this kid; we all were really high on this kid.”
Nutt added that Johnson’s relatively poor performance in the 40-yard dash may have caused a slide in the NFL draft, as he was initially projected to go off the board around the third round.
“He’s a juke button, he has very good feet, vision, feel, and he’s very good out of the backfield,” Nutt described. “I think the Combine 40, I think he ran like a 4.56 or something, that might’ve scared people away, but then he ran a 4.49 at his Pro Day. Then he ran like a 4.49 or 4.50… so he showed on two reps that he can match the same speed.”
The Chiefs added even more talent after drafting Johnson, signing a trio of undrafted free agent running backs that included the son of former NFL legend Emmitt Smith.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty