The Kansas City Chiefs will get WR De’Anthony Thomas back from suspension this week, but they won’t have to immediately make space for him on the roster.
Thomas was removed from the NFL’s reserve/suspended list according to the NFL’s official transaction report released on Monday. Thomas, however, does not yet count against the 53-man roster because he was granted a roster exemption.
NFL teams often request one-week roster exemptions from the league for players returning from suspensions. It allows for an extra player in practice while the suspended player gets caught up on the things they’ve missed. Sometimes it’ll allow for the suspended player to get in better football shape.
In the case of the Chiefs, the roster exemption provided them more time to evaluate the health of Tyreek Hill and figure out the best way to make space for the incoming Thomas. The Chiefs’ roster currently sits at 53 players and the Chiefs will ultimately need to make a move to make room on the roster for Thomas before Sunday’s game Week 2 game against the Oakland Raiders.
With news that Tyreek Hill will likely avoid injured reserve, the players that Chiefs fans should look at as candidates to be released are some that weren’t active during Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. It’s very likely one of these players is considered the 53rd man by the team.
