Kansas City Chiefs Release Defensive End Jaye Howard

In a surprise move, the Kansas City Chiefs have released defensive end Jaye Howard. It’s a move that not many could have seen coming.

Coming into the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs looked absolutely stacked at the defensive end position. After losing both starters to injury last year, the Chiefs got a pleasant surprise from backups Chris Jones and Rakeem Nunez-Roaches. KC seems ready to move forward with that as they released Jaye Howard today.

Jaye Howard has to be considered one of the best finds of the John Dorsey era in Kansas City. The big defensive end became a stalwart on the Chiefs defensive line over the past few years. He showed ability to play well against the run, and also to get into the backfield as a pass rusher.

The decision to release him today comes as a bit of a surprise. Granted, the Chiefs have a lot of talent at the position. However, it never hurts to have more. On top of that, one would think John Dorsey would try to work a trade for such a high-profile player, rather than just releasing him outright.

There are financial considerations with this. However, Terez Paylor reports that the Chiefs guaranteed $2.5 million of Jaye Howard’s $3.7 million salary on April 1st. That means Kansas City really isn’t saving a lot of money here. Again, this is a surprising move.

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The Kansas City Chiefs clearly feel confident in their roster. We knew this already based on what we have been hearing. However, to see a move like this being made, it just reinforces the faith this team has in its roster. The move is still a bit of a surprise. However, these are the kinds of things teams with talented rosters have to do.