KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs parted ways with one of their most polarizing quarterbacks in recent years on Sunday, cutting Ricky Stanzi, a former fifth-round draft pick who never saw the field yet some fans seemed to love.
Stanzi was among 14 players who were cut ahead of today’s deadline to reach the 75-man roster limit. The Chiefs must reach the 53-man limit for the regular season by Saturday.
Stanzi, who was drafted by former general manager Scott Pioli, was beaten out for the No. 3 quarterback job by undrafted free-agent Tyler Bray. Stanzi was just 5 of 12 for 42 yards in the preseason, and did not play in the most recent two games.
Kansas City wraps up its preseason schedule Thursday night against Green Bay.
Stanzi was joined by wide receiver Terrance Copper and defensive back Neiko Thorpe in players who were part of last year’s 2-14 team that were involved in the first round of cuts.
Also cut Sunday were cornerbacks Vince Agnew, Otha Foster III and Kamaal McIlwain; offensive linemen Ryan Durand, A.J. Hawkins and Hutch Eckerson; defensive ends Miguel Chavis and Rob Lohr; running back Jordan Roberts; wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker and fullback Braden Wilson.
“This is always a difficult time of year,” first-year Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said. “We have to make decisions that we feel are in the best interest of our football team and unfortunately, this is part of the process. These gentlemen have put in a lot of hard work and effort for our franchise, and we wish them nothing but the best moving forward.”
While it was widely expected that Stanzi would be dismissed, the Chiefs’ decision to cut loose Copper, Thorpe and Wilson ahead of the final round was a bit surprising.
Copper had eight catches for 79 yards last season, but was a valuable contributor on special teams. Thorpe was active for nine games after making the team as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn.
Wilson, out of Kansas State, was the Chiefs’ sixth-round draft pick just this year. He also played sparingly on special teams in the preseason.
“We told the guys at the beginning of the year to make it as hard as you can on John and me when it comes down to making these decisions,” Reid said. “These guys have busted their tails, and it’s their profession. We wish them all the best of luck when they leave here that they have an opportunity to go play somewhere else. You never know in this business, you could be coming right back, you never know how it works. It’s a crazy thing.”
In other news, Reid said offensive guard Jon Asamoah is day-to-day with a strained calf, cornerback Jalil Brown has a bruised knee, linebacker Nico Johnson has a sprained ankle, and wide receiver Deter McCluster is still ill.
None of them were expected to practice on Monday.