On a day where one Kansas City Chief–you know, the one with the girlfriend way out of his league–was given (along with his brother) the side hustle of a lifetime, dozens of others, including one who was supposed to take some of the burden off an aging Travis Kelce, got a visit from “The Turk”.
If you’re not familiar with the term, a 2009 piece by THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME’s Jon Kendle fills in your knowledge gap:
“The Turk” is the NFL’s version of the Grim Reaper. He is the individual assigned by the team who is responsible for tracking down players and explaining to them that they are being released. “Coach wants to see you, and make sure you bring your playbooks” are the famous last words that no player wants to hear come from “The Turk.”
Each preseason draws to close with the tough task of the 32 NFL clubs needing to perform the final cuts and trim to the required 53-man roster for the regular season.
Unfortunately, this means that many NFL hopefuls will be released from their current teams. Some players will be placed on the team’s practice squad, while others become free agents with the hope of signing with another club.
It’s a very difficult process for a lot of usually tough-minded and resilient men. For many it’s the first time in their football careers that they will feel the failure of being cut from a team. Every situation is different and emotions vary from player to player. One thing that has remained the same year after year is when cut down day comes, rookies and veterans alike hope to steer clear of “The Turk.”
And yesterday that day came, for some in a surprising manner. Take the case of this now former Chiefs’ wide receiver and one time Giants G-dsend, the way THE ATHLETIC’s Nate Taylor did:
Two weeks ago, receiver Kadarius Toney was in his practice uniform alongside many of his teammates. The Kansas City Chiefs were in the middle of a padded practice in the final week of training camp and the day’s most important period had arrived: the long-drive drill, the uptempo session in which coach Andy Reid has the projected starters do 16 consecutive repetitions, starting with the ball on the 1-yard line.
Toney waited and waited and waited. He never left the sideline, even when the second- and third-teamers had their reps. Toney watched fellow receivers Skyy Moore, Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio — all of whom were battling for one of the final spots on the Chiefs’ initial 53-man roster — get targeted in preparation for the team’s preseason finale against the Detroit Lions.
The moment served as the first major indication that the Chiefs were preparing themselves to move on from Toney, the 2021 first-round pick they acquired in 2022 through a midseason trade with the New York Giants.
Yesterday, The Turk paid Toney a visit. Can’t say he shouldn’t have seen it coming.
And as USA TODAY’s Mark Giannotto reminds, he wasn’t alone. Here a just a couple of what he labeled the worst cuts on Turk Day:
RB D’Onta Foreman, Cleveland Browns
Foreman performed admirably as a mid-season signing with the Chicago Bears last year, running for 425 yards and four touchdowns over nine games and finishing with the highest success rate of his seven-year career. He was signed by Cleveland this offseason as Nick Chubb works his way back from last year’s knee injury. By cutting Foreman, the Browns will have just two active running backs since Chubb has been placed on the team’s physically unable to perform list and will miss at least the first four games of the season. That seems like a gamble, particularly when a reliable veteran like Foreman was in the fold.
QB Desmond Ridder, Arizona Cardinals
Ridder started 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons last season, but appears to have lost out to third-year pro Clayton Tune in Arizona’s back-up quarterback competition. It’s particularly strange considering the Cardinals traded wide receiver Rondale Moore for Ridder this offseason. Ridder’s dual-threat capabilities seem more in line with how Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray plays. If Murray were to get hurt, Arizona could regret releasing him this week.
K Anders Carlson, Green Bay
The Packers used a sixth-round draft pick on Carlson last year, but they couldn’t get past his shaky rookie season. Carlson missed 13 field goals or extra points in 2023, including a 41-yard field goal attempt late in Green Bay’s playoff loss to the 49ers. Burning a draft pick on a kicker is risky enough. Having to waive that kicker a year later reflects poorly on the organization’s decision makers.
There’s dozens of other less familiar names, as CBS SPORTS’ Jeff Kerr and Jared Dubin dutifully compiled. Here’s the entire list, in case you want to check for your favorites, or perhaps your friends.
Kerr and Dubin did provide the somewhat encouraging caveat that many of these players will end up either claimed by other teams or return on their original teams’ practice squads for 2024. And we do know that injuries are a certainty in a 17-game, 18-week marathon, so you never know who might still be a factor this year, let alone still earning a paycheck.
It’s not a pleasant experience, to be sure. Believe me, I know. And so do dozens of my friends and colleagues. And for many of us, this is as close to a practice squad as we get to experience.
But take heart, Turk victims. Hope springs eternal. And maybe you and your sibling might be able to start a podcast of your own.
Courage…