Kansas City Chiefs cut third-round pick KeiVarae Russell

After one game of the 2016 regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs have released cornerback KeiVarae Russell.

Draft picks are typically a premium commodity in the NFL, as they provide affordable young talent to teams for as long as possible. Cutting ties with a draft pick early is hardly unheard of, due to dismal performance or durability issues, but the Kansas City Chiefs have already cut ties with 2016 draft pick KeiVarae Russell after one game this season.

Russell was a three-year starter at Notre Dame, and Kansas City took him in the third round (74th overall) in this year’s draft. He suffered a broken tibia in November of 2015, but he recovered quickly and boosted his draft stock with a good showing at Notre Dame’s Pro Day (4.49 40-yard dash, 38-and-half-inch vertical, 11-foot-2-inch broad jump).

Reports point to a special teams numbers game for the Chiefs, but giving up on Russell so quickly invites speculation about more to the story. If he clears waivers, Kansas City can stash Russell on their practice squad. But the overall need for cornerback talent around the league makes it likely Russell will be claimed by another team, and the Chiefs’ brass is presumably aware of that possibility.

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The Chiefs go a solid five-deep at cornerback without Russell, with starters Marcus Peters and Phillip Gaines along with Steven Nelson, Kenneth Acker and D.J. White behind them. But it’s worth noting that White a was sixth-round pick this year, and it’s easy to think a decision came down to keeping him over Russell.

It’s very possible Russell simply did not meet the Chiefs’ expectations during training camp and preseason games. But cutting ties so quickly, with an unlikely notion he can be retained on the practice squad, points to a fast acknowledgement of a mistake. Apparently, the Chiefs don’t think they’ll regret letting Russell go.