Joshua Williams' High Risk of Being Cut from Kansas City Chiefs

Joshua Williams has been through the gauntlet with the Kansas City Chiefs as a two-time Super Bowl champion with 60 total appearances (and 12 starts) who now profiles as a cut or trade candidate amid the 2025 training camp.

The 2022 fourth-round pick has certainly had his fair share of highs and lows as a member of the Chiefs. From the overall team success and moments of personal brilliance, to 2022 seventh-rounder Jaylen Watson steadily outshining him, and inconsistencies as a tackler and cover CB that often drew criticism from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

After the Chiefs spent a surprising amount on Kristian Fulton in free agency, then drafted rookie cornerback Nohl Williams in round three, it felt like either Joshua Williams or fellow draftmate Nazeeh Johnson could be on the outs this summer.

However, the latest development from training camp doesn’t bode well for the former.

We try not to put too much stock into unofficial preseason depth charts, but they do tend to reveal more when it comes to veteran members of the roster, rather than rookies who may start out low due to seniority.

On the Chiefs’ initial 2025 depth chart, it feels notable that Joshua Williams was dropped down to the CB5 role, behind Trent McDuffie, Watson, Nohl Williams and Johnson.

Keep in mind, this does not include the injured Fulton, who will surpass him once healthy. It also does not really take into account nickel specialist Christian Roland-Wallace, who has been having a standout training camp in the slot and is a candidate to back up McDuffie or whomever starts at that position.

So, Joshua Williams could realistically be seventh on the CB depth chart. Is the writing on the wall for the former fourth-round pick?

Could the Chiefs Trade Joshua Williams Rather Than Cut Him at the Tail End of Training Camp?

Ideally, the Chiefs will be able to trade one of their cornerbacks. Kansas City may not have five elite CBs in the secondary, but they do have more depth than most teams, and Joshua Williams is no slouch, despite his deficiencies as a starter.

In fact, there are plenty of NFL teams that could probably use Williams right now, considering that cornerback is always a position where reliable reserves are in short supply.

It will be a key preseason for Williams and the Chiefs. The former draft pick may not just be battling for his roster spot in KC; he could also be auditioning for a 53-man role somewhere else.

Chiefs CB Kristian Fulton’s Knee Operation Could Save Joshua Williams

No matter what the Chiefs tell you publicly, no one expected Fulton to miss this much time — or any time at all — at training camp.

On August 3, head coach Andy Reid provided a cryptic update on Fulton after revealing that he had a “clean up” surgery performed on his knee at an earlier date. But considering the free agent pickup is learning a new system and forming chemistry within a new secondary, the longer he’s out, the more concerning his status is for KC.

It’s possible that Fulton’s injury status could save Joshua Williams, for the time being.

Barring new injuries that pop up, the Chiefs are expected to keep McDuffie, Watson, Fulton and Nohl Williams at cornerback. As noted above, Johnson and Roland-Wallace also appear to have a leg up on Joshua Williams, plus a few UDFAs like Melvin Smith Jr., Jacobe Covington and Kevin Knowles have flashed as well.

Assuming Joshua Williams can beat out those undrafted rookies, he’s pretty much vying with Johnson for the final backup CB job on the perimeter/outside, if there is one. But if Fulton were to start the season on the short-term injured reserve, it could free up an extra spot for the 2022 draft pick.