Stanford Routt was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday afternoon. At least that's when the announcement came -- a surprising one that leaves the Chiefs in an interesting position in their secondary.
Given that Routt was signed to be the replacement for Brandon Carr this offseason, it begs the question of who will start at cornerback now that Routt is out. The Chiefs do not have solid secondary depth even with Routt in house, so it's an odd move that depletes a defense that was already struggling all season -- to the tune of 240 points allowed.
In recent weeks, quarterbacks like Josh Freeman of the Bucs and Carson Palmer of the Raiders have enjoyed fine days at the expense of the KC defense. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked great earlier in the year, and that's not the mention the obvious productivity of Matt Ryan of the Falcons or Drew Brees of the Saints. With the Chiefs schedule still including games against Peyton Manning twice with the Broncos and Andrew Luck of the Colts, things could get even tougher.
Javier Arenas is the cornerback listed behind Routt on the depth chart, and he's likely going to be the man opposite Brandon Flowers when all is said and done. Perhaps Jalil Brown could also step in. Yet neither player is going to inspire quarterbacks to look away.
Instead new defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs has his hands full with a thin secondary that's already ailing with Eric Berry struggling in his comeback from injury and health issues affecting nearly everyone on the depth chart this season.