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Four surprise cuts by Kansas City Chiefs ahead of 2020 season

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 21: Linebacker Breeland Speaks #57 of the Kansas City Chiefs gets set on defense during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 21, 2018 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 21: Linebacker Breeland Speaks #57 of the Kansas City Chiefs gets set on defense during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 21, 2018 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
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The Kansas City Chiefs had to cut their roster down to 53 players ahead of the 2020 season and as a result, these four players were surprisingly cut.

Roster cuts happen every year and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs had their work cut out for them when it came to trying to narrow down their roster. The Chiefs cutting these four players, however, shocked us all.

4. Lavert Hill

The Chiefs always seem to have a need at cornerback and this year they were actually looking well-set at the position for the first time in awhile. Unfortunately, Bashaud Breeland is going to miss the first four games due to suspension, which puts the Chiefs in a bind. Charvarius Ward will be the starter, but who will start on the other side of him?

Lavert Hill, an undrafted free agent signing out of Michigan, wasn’t going to be the starter across from Ward, but cutting him was a surprise, as he added depth to the position. The Chiefs decided to keep both of their draft picks in L’Jarius Sneed and BoPete Keyes along with Ward, Rashad Fenton, and free agent signing Antonio Hamilton at cornerback.

It would have been nice to see Hill get a chance on the roster, but the Chiefs decided to go with other options.

3. Matt Moore

This one is really only surprising because of what Matt Moore meant to the organization last year. Him stepping in for three games when Patrick Mahomes got hurt really did save the Chiefs’ season and Chiefs Kingdom will always be grateful for him.

The Chiefs decided that Chad Henne was the better option to have behind Mahomes though, which isn’t surprising. He took all of the second-team reps during training camp and has been with this organization since Mahomes took over in 2018.

Hopefully the Chiefs can keep Moore around in case either injuries happen or a COVID-19 outbreak occurs forcing the Chiefs into an unideal situation at quarterback.

2. DeAndre Washington

We knew DeAndre Washington wasn’t making the roster before the final cut downs were officially announced, but it was still a bit stunning. The Chiefs had an interesting situation at the backup running back position ever since Damien Williams decided to opt out, putting Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the starting role.

Washington was competing with Darwin Thompson and Darrel Williams for a spot on the roster and the Chiefs ultimately decided to keep with the guys who have been in their clubhouse the whole time. Washington spent the first four years of his career with the Raiders and spent some time with Mahomes at Texas Tech before they both got to the pros.

Thompson and Williams have obviously done enough during their short time with the Chiefs that prompted them to keep the two of them over the experienced veteran.

1. Breeland Speaks

The most shocking cut of the weekend was Breeland Speaks, who the Chiefs took in the second round in 2018. Speaks had a rough rookie season where he didn’t play to the level that the organization was hoping for and he missed all of 2019 due to injury.

It really did feel like Kansas City was going to give him another chance simply due to the new defensive scheme and the fact that he was a second round pick just two years ago, but evidently they’ve seen enough. Instead, the Chiefs kept Taco Charlton, fifth round pick Mike Danna, and Demone Harris over Speaks.

Sometimes early draft picks don’t pan out and Breeland Speaks is proof of that.

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Next. Why Chiefs Will Win Fifth Straight AFC West. dark

The KC Chiefs will look to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2020 and they feel these cuts were necessary in order to help them achieve that goal.

What do you think of these cuts, Chiefs fans? What cuts surprised you the most?