At 2025 roster cutdowns, Chiefs GM Brett Veach is making a tough call on FB Carson Steele.
Every August brings tough roster decisions for NFL teams. Given how competitive they are on a yearly basis, that's especially true for the Kansas City Chiefs. Only 53 players are given the opportunity to come into the year with a Patrick Mahomes-led team boasting Super Bowl expectations.
A second-year player fell victim to that harsh reality on Tuesday. Ahead of the league's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline to trim their roster, Kansas City is parting ways with fullback Carson Steele. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston broke the news.
"Chiefs releasing fullback-running back Carson Steele, per a league source," Wilson's tweet began. "Downhill player, good balance on contact."
It's a quick leash for Steele, who signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Thanks to a stellar close to his collegiate career at Ball State and UCLA, Steele generated some buzz as a powerful runner. He quickly won over Kansas City's fans thanks to his offseason progress and potential role on offense.
Once Isiah Pacheco went down with a broken fibula in Week 2 of last year, Steele was thrust into the spotlight. He started Week 3's contest versus the Atlanta Falcons, toting the ball 17 times to the tune of 72 yards. After that, though, he was relegated to mostly a special teams role due to the signing of Kareem Hunt.
A lack of ball security also didn't help matters. Steele recorded 56 carries as a rookie but had 3 fumbles to go with it. In all, he averaged 3.3 yards per attempt and 3.7 yards per reception out of the backfield. He played 201 offensive snaps and 137 on special teams.
During the 2025 preseason, Steele had 8 carries for 31 yards.
Speaking to the media at training camp, Steele revealed what he focused on during the offseason.
"I would say work a lot more of my fullback role [and] special teams, as well as keeping the running back side of me," Steele said. "I kind of talked about it last year, being a Swiss Army knife and kind of doing everything but kind of taking that to the next step this year."