The Kansas City Chiefs have to solve some roster riddles ahead of Tuesday's cutdown day in the NFL. By 4 P.M. ET, every team must trim from 90 players down to 53, and Kansas City has no shortage of tough calls to make.
They already started clearing their logjam at wide receiver when they traded Skyy Moore and a 2027 seventh-rounder to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick in that same year. That was a steep fall for Moore, a former second-rounder in 2022 who never lived up to expectations in Kansas City.
Other spots are still unsettled.
The running back position remains cloudy after a sluggish preseason from the entire group. Cornerback is another, where the Chiefs have quietly built up more depth than they can realistically keep. That could force a trade or even a surprising cut at the position.
Joshua Williams sits right in the middle of that discussion.
Joshua Williams Should Have a Ton of Interest if Chiefs Cut Him
Drafted in the fourth round of the same class as Moore, Williams flashed promise early in his career. He logged significant snaps in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, making a handful of plays in coverage and even starting in spurts when injuries hit.
At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, he has the length and frame defensive coordinators covet on the perimeter. That kind of size doesn’t grow on trees, and Williams has proven he can handle physical receivers in spot duty.
Still, he hasn’t been able to solidify a permanent role.
Williams is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will hit unrestricted free agency next spring. The Chiefs signed veteran Kristian Fulton in free agency and invested a third-round pick in Nohl Williams, two moves that pushed Williams down the depth chart.
Add in the presence of Trent McDuffie, one of the league’s premier corners, and returning depth pieces like Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson, and Williams suddenly finds himself on the bubble.
Kansas City’s preference would be to trade him rather than cut him outright. A long, experienced cornerback on a cheap contract should have value, even if the return is modest — perhaps a late-round pick.
But if there are no takers, it’s not hard to see Williams as one of the more notable casualties of cutdown day.
And if he does hit waivers expect plenty of suitors. Teams are always searching for secondary help, and Williams has the tools to step into a CB3 role elsewhere. The Chiefs may be too deep at the position, but the rest of the league won’t see him the same way.