Chiefs Release Eric Winston

Word out of Kansas City this evening is that the Chiefs have released Eric Winston. This would appear to be the second year in a row that Winston was surprisingly dismissed by his employer, what with your Houston Texans cutting Winston about this time last year.

The Chiefs' decision isn't a ridiculous one. They chose to franchise Brandon Albert earlier this week, and selecting Luke Joeckel with that first overall pick in late April--even with the franchise-friendly contract he'd have to sign--might not have been the best use of the team's fixed salary resources with Winston still on the roster. If the Chiefs believe that Joeckel is the best prospect in the draft, jettisoning Winston makes sense.

Texans fans will naturally question whether this means Winston could be in line for a return engagement in Houston. Even if the team was inclined to admit that Winston is a better option at right tackle than Derek Newton, a reunion would still require Winston to agree to a much lesser deal than he's sure to command elsewhere. Hometown discounts are nice to dream about, and I have no doubt the idea of returning to Houston would intrigue Winston on some level, but it seems extraordinarily unlikely that he'd agree to a below-market deal to make it happen...assuming the Texans would admit that Newton still isn't ready to start at RT.