Kansas City Chiefs: Veterans in danger of losing roster spot
By John McCarty
DANIEL SORENSEN
Daniel Sorensen‘s roster spot may be lost due to depth available at a lower cost to younger talent.
Every year a player finds themselves unemployed due to a combination of factors, mainly a veteran play losing their starting spot while sporting a salary commensurate of a starter. Currently, the veteran safety is due to count $4.693 million against the 2019 salary cap. The Chiefs will carry $1 million in dead money if they release him at cut down time.
Do the Chiefs opt for the younger players in Jordan Lucas and Armani Watts, younger players that combined will count and make less than Daniel Sorensen?
Both can play special teams and both are able to provide depth. Watts looked promising in limited time before injuries ended his 2018 season and Lucas looked athletic in limited duties and able to contribute on special teams.
With a new defensive staff, the Chiefs might be looking for new blood and energy. With rookie Juan Thornhill looking to be moving into a starting role, it’s hard to see Sorensen finding a roster spot unless the Chiefs specifically value other, off the field qualities. With the money spent on Tyrann Mathieu and the emergence of Thornhill, it’s becoming difficult to find a roster spot for Sorensen.
I will say for fairness, Jordan Lucas does carry a cap hit just over $2 million with zero dead money. If the Chiefs do opt to keep Daniel Sorensen, they likely would move on from Lucas (Watts counts only 737,000 against the cap in 2019).