A few days after placing him on injured reserve, the Kansas City Chiefs have waived RB Derrick Gore with an injury settlement according to the NFL’s daily personnel notice.
Gore suffered a fractured thumb during the preseason Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders. He was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday when the team had to make two additional roster moves to get the roster down to the new 80-man player limit.
Should Gore clear waivers and become a free agent, it’s possible that he rejoins the team at a later date when he is fully healthy. This is a bit of a roster workaround that Brett Veach has done in the past (Gehrig Dieter in 2019) to subvert the NFL’s injured reserve rules. If you place a player on injured reserve prior to 53-man roster cuts, they’re not allowed to be designated to return during the season. Waiving them from injured reserve with an injury designation opens up the possibility that they can be re-signed and play.
Gore first caught on with the Chiefs in February of 2021 when he first signed a reserve/future deal with the team. He was a standout during the preseason in 2021, but he didn’t make the active roster initially. Gore was called up to the 53-man roster from the practice squad when starting RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was injured in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills. He stuck on the team for the remainder of the season, recording 51 carries for 256 yards and two touchdowns.