The Kansas City Chiefs tried to keep Kevin Knowles around, but the timing of their roster shuffle didn’t hold up. After initially carrying him on the first version of the active roster, the Chiefs waived the second-year corner to open spots for new claims. On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stepped in and were awarded Knowles.
That move came after Kansas City had already made its first round of cuts, and Knowles was one of the surprises of the original roster. His spot had pushed the Chiefs to 11 defensive backs, which made the eventual shakeup feel inevitable once the team added two defensive linemen off waivers.
When those moves landed, Knowles and defensive tackle Marcus Harris were the two players sent out. Harris remains available for Kansas City to send to the practice squad.
The Chiefs may have viewed it as a little roster chess, but Tampa Bay didn’t let the corner slip through. The Bucs had just watched Kansas City claim defensive end Jack Pyburn the day before, along with San Francisco 49ers tackle Bryson Eason, so they got a player back in the exchange. Pyburn and Eason brought the Chiefs’ defensive line group to four rookies among nine linemen.
Knowles entered the league with Kansas City in 2025 as a rookie free agent out of Florida State, and he carved out a useful role in short order. He became a steady special teams piece and, on defense, logged 15 tackles and 2 pass deflections in 82 snaps. He also appeared in 13 games, with most of his work coming on special teams.
This offseason, though, the cornerback room changed fast and got crowded in a hurry. Even competitors such as Kader Kohou and Melvin Smith were let go, and Knowles was squeezed out as well. In Tampa Bay, he’ll remain on a 53-man roster for S/T coordinator Danny Smith.
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