The Kansas City Chiefs' rookie minicamp seems to have been a resounding success, as the team saw some promising performances not only from guys they drafted but from undrafted players as well.
It's no secret that general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid are among the best, if not the best, at finding young players who can quickly become contributors. There are numerous examples of late-round guys and undrafted rookies who've made an impact, with Carson Steele being the most recent example from 2024.
That said, not everyone turns into a productive player. The Chiefs recognize that and just let two rookies go in the immediate aftermath of minicamp.
Chiefs Release Two Undrafted Rookies Right After Minicamp
As Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports notes, Kansas City officially released both Tennessee safety Will Brooks and San Jose State wide receiver Justin Lockhart, the latter of whom will be placed on injured reserve should he clear waivers.
In a corresponding move, BJ Thompson, who was just cut himself, cleared waivers and will now go to the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. He won't count against the 90-man roster limit that's in place until the fall.
Neither Brooks nor Lockhart had a great chance to make an impact on the team. Even though the Chiefs lost Justin Reid in free agency, they're still loaded in the secondary and have made significant investments at wide receiver recently. We'll likely see more of these releases in the coming days, as only a handful of undrafted players each year wind up actually getting invited to training camp.
For those players though, the impact can be huge. Mike Pennel and Tershawn Wharton both became great players for the organization, with Wharton just receiving a contract north of $50 million from the Carolina Panthers. Someone in this undrafted class will have a career in the league in all likelihood, though the Chiefs clearly didn't believe in either of them.
Brooks and Lockhart could still land with another team, though Kansas City elected to go in a different direction.