With the 2025 NFL preseason in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs and the other 31 teams in the league are working on cutting their rosters down from 90 to 53 players over the next few days.
The Chiefs have yet to make any cuts after playing their final preseason game on Friday night, but they did make a trade on Sunday, bringing back a familiar face who departed the team in the offseason.
At the same time, several former Chiefs players hope that they won’t be asked to turn in their playbooks. One ex-Chiefs running back wasn’t so lucky, as a hated rival of Kansas City’s gave him his unemployment papers.
Ex-Chief Elijah Young Gets Dismissed by Buffalo Bills at End of Preseason
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills announced that they parted ways with multiple players, including running back Elijah Young. The Bills just signed Young earlier this week after the Chiefs sent him packing after the second week of preseason.
The fact that the young running back was able to get signed so quickly ahead of the Bills’ final preseason game gave the ex-Chief one more chance to prove himself. Young actually played well, and then he did in his two games with the Chiefs.
The 5-foot-9 running back had a game-high 53 yards on 16 carries (3.3 YPC), while adding three receptions (three targets) for 40 yards.
Young’s pass-catching out of the backfield is one of his better skills, along with his acceleration, especially when he gets into open space. Now, since he’s been cut, just two days before the 4 pm ET deadline on Tuesday, the former Chief will hopefully find his way onto a team’s practice squad.
Based on his performance in the Bills’ preseason finale on Saturday night, it wouldn’t be shocking for the Chiefs’ rival to bring him back on the taxi squad.
At the same time, the Chiefs could do the same thing, depending on the other position groups they are prioritizing for the practice squad. Remember, Kansas City signed Young immediately after the draft as an undrafted free agent.
Nonetheless, Young won’t be the only ex-Chief who will be released in the coming days. We will see many more, and the hope is that they will find their next opportunity, whether on a practice squad or potentially in a different league.