Chris Wilcox would make interesting waiver claim for KC Chiefs
By Matt Conner
There’s no way of knowing whether or not K.C. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has any interest in former BYU cornerback Chris Wilcox, but he might have a chance at him on the waiver wire on Wednesday—if no other teams get in the way.
When active roster cuts were due earlier this month as teams pared down offseason rosters filled with 90 players down to the required 53 following the preseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to part ways with Wilcox, who was their seventh round pick. As a player without veteran status, he was subject to waivers after being cut, and that allowed the Indianapolis Colts to claim him heading into the regular season.
At that point, it became impossible to know if the Chiefs would have been interested in him or not, had Wilcox been available, but the Colts apparently decided to release Wilcox again, per the league’s transaction wire on Tuesday. That means the Chiefs might be able to grab him after all on Wednesday.
Chris Wilcox has an ideal base for an outside corner for K.C. Chiefs.
The league allows 24 hours for the waiver period to go through, and it doesn’t help that the Chiefs are set at the bottom of that waiver order. But Wilcox is not in any way a pro-ready player that every franchise would find projectable for their defense.
What Wilcox does bring is something that the Chiefs seem to really appreciate: an ideal base upon which they can coach up a lengthy, speedy cornerback. Wilcox stands 6’2″, 195 lbs, which means he’s long and lean. However, he also ran a 4.31-second time in the 40-yard dash, showing he’s got tremendous top speed. He played in 41 games for the Cougars, but unfortunately wasn’t exactly a ballhawk, and there’s some considerable coaching needed here.
That said, Wilcox enters the NFL with the ideal makeup for a developmental prospect. For the Bucs, he was on the Physically Unable to Play list for some of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. From there, other players stood out on a loaded roster and it was impossible for them to justify keeping Wilcox over others. Yet he was also talented enough to not slip through to their practice squad.
It’s very possible the Chiefs are beaten out again in the waiver wire order for the likes of Wilcox. It’s also possible the Chiefs aren’t interested at all. But the long-term talent is here and good teams like the Bucs and Colts are already paying attention. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Chiefs showing interest in Wilcox.