With the new league year approaching and offseason rosters expanding to 90 men, teams will have plenty of options on the margins. That’s no different for the Kansas City Chiefs, who increased their total on Wednesday. According to the NFL’s daily personnel notice, Kansas City has re-signed wide receiver Cornell Powell to its offseason roster. This was confirmed by Aaron Wilson from KPRC 2 in Houston.
Powell, who recently completed his third season in the NFL, was a fifth-round choice by the Chiefs in 2021. He has only participated in three games for the team, taking three offensive snaps and 28 special teams reps between Weeks 11 and 13 of the 2022 season. Aside from that, Powell has spent a significant amount of time on Kansas City’s practice squad but has yet to make the official roster.
Last summer appeared to be a good opportunity for Powell to make an impression on the team, and he did. A successful training camp aided his cause, as did six receptions on seven targets for 63 yards in the preseason. However, after hurting his hamstring in the final game against the Cleveland Browns, he was unable to make the 53-man roster. Powell returned to the practice squad, as he had done previously.
Powell, 26, broke out during his senior year at Clemson. The former Tiger caught 53 passes for 882 yards and seven touchdowns and had a solid pre-draft process, highlighted by a 4.53-second 40-yard run, 10’8″ broad jump, and 36.5″ vertical jump. This increased his draft stock to the point where the Chiefs selected him on Day Three.
Powell, along with Montrell Washington and Shi Smith (reserve/futures contracts), will be end-of-roster wide receiver contenders this offseason. The active roster and depth chart could change over the next few months, creating possibilities for others to come up. Regardless of how many pass catchers Kansas City adds or subtracts by the time OTAs begin, Powell will be given the opportunity to demonstrate his development. Can the former No. 181 overall pick move up the rankings? This leaves the door somewhat open for it.
