The Chiefs’ tackle picture has already taken a wild turn, and Wanya Morris is right back where he started: available.
Kansas City moved on from Morris earlier this summer once it became clear he wasn’t part of the team’s 2026 plans. Atlanta then reached the same conclusion two months later, releasing Morris on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, as the Falcons trimmed their offseason roster from 90 players to the required 53.
Back in June, the Chiefs and Falcons made a deal that looked like it could help both sides. Kansas City sent Morris and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to Atlanta in exchange for the Falcons’ sixth-round selection. At the time, the move made sense on both ends: Morris appeared unlikely to stick, while Atlanta was looking for experienced help after losing bodies on the offensive line.
But the Chiefs’ decision also reflected how quickly the numbers shifted in Kansas City. Not long before the trade, the team had been leaning on Esa Pole and Chu Godrick to start actual games, multiple games.
By June, though, the depth chart looked different with Khalil Benson emerging as a rookie free agent and joining Pole, Godrick and Ethan Driskell behind Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore. Suddenly, there wasn’t room.
That part of the story didn’t stay settled for long. As preseason wrapped up, general manager Brett Veach sent a draft pick to the Baltimore Ravens for the rights to rookie free agent tackle Diego Pounds after the Ole Miss product impressed in exhibition play. The Chiefs had seen enough from their second-team linemen to know more help was needed.
So in the span of one offseason, Kansas City went from tackle-needy to tackle-rich and back again. Morris looked like a smart pickup for Atlanta, only for that to change once Ethan Onianwa and others started showing better. Now he’s a free agent again, and the whole sequence is a reminder of how fast the offensive line market can flip.
In Other News...
Chiefs Move On From Rookie Linebacker With An Unusual Next Step
The Chiefs have moved on from undrafted rookie linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, closing a brief chapter for a player who had been part of their offseason mix. Bissainthes path to Kansas City was already unconventional, and his release only adds another layer to a football career now caught between the pro level and a very different kind of fight.
Bissainthe has also secured a temporary restraining order from a Texas judge in a challenge tied to NCAA eligibility rules, which currently block outgoing seniors from playing a fifth season. He is one of more than 100 people disputing the ruling, and the issue could determine whether he heads back to college football rather than continuing to chase an NFL opportunity right away. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Roster Cutdown Just Revealed A Lot About Their Week 1 Plan
The Chiefs got to their 53-man roster by making a few moves that say plenty about how theyre thinking heading into September. Kansas City released Esa Pole, Kaiir Elam and Emmanuel Ogbah as part of the deadline purge, while also adding offensive linemen Josh Ezeudu and Diego Pounds through trades, a sign the front office was still willing to adjust the edges of the roster even as the opener drew closer.
Those decisions also sharpen the focus on Week 1, when the Chiefs open the regular season on September 14 against the Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. Roster cutdown day is always about subtraction, but in Kansas Citys case it also hinted at where the team sees immediate needs and what kind of depth it wants in place before the first snap of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Rebuilt Secondary
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Kansas City added another layer to that reset by releasing cornerback Kaiir Elam, the former first-round pick it signed this offseason. It is the kind of move that speaks loudly even before the regular season begins, because it leaves the Chiefs leaning further into the new-look group they have built and makes the competition in the secondary feel even more open as they settle on their answers. [Read more 🡒]