Chiefs Waive Former Fifth-Round Pick Following NFL Draft

This may not be the last Chiefs fans see of the defender.
Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end BJ Thompson (53) on the sidelines against the Chicago Bears during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end BJ Thompson (53) on the sidelines against the Chicago Bears during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Much like the rest of the league, the Kansas City Chiefs have been forced to make some personnel decisions following the 2025 NFL Draft, and a recent draft pick was impacted by the need to create space to welcome in all the undrafted free agent targets that have piqued the defending AFC champions' interest.

According to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com, the Chiefs informed former fifth-round pick BJ Thompson that he has been waived. However, this may not be the end of Thompson's tenure in Kansas City.

Derrick adds that if Thompson clears waivers, he will revert to the Chiefs and be placed on injured reserve, as he continues to work his way back to the field following a seizure he had this past year.

Thompson, a former Stephen F. Austin University standout, was at the center of an extremely scary situation in June of 2024 as he had to be rushed to the hospital from the team's practice facility after he went into cardiac arrest following a seizure.

As a result, Thompson spent the entire 2024 season on the non-football injury list, putting his full focus on rehab and getting in the right spot regarding his health.

Per Derrick's report, by placing Thompson on waivers with a failed physical designation, the Chiefs would retain Thompson on the team's injured reserve as long as no team claims him by 3 p.m. on Sunday. If this is the case, Thompson would not count toward the team's 90-man roster limit, but he would continue to work with Kansas City's medical staff.

It goes without saying that all Chiefs fans would love to see Thompson get to the point where he is cleared to take the field without any health restrictions. His well-being means much more than the game itself, no matter how much it means to Thompson.

More Kansas City Chiefs News and Rumors: