Kansas City Chiefs

5 players the Chiefs must move on from in 2016

Published Jan. 20, 2016 4:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

Fresh of an AFC Divisional Round berth, it's back to sqaure one for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The good news? They're stocked with enough talent to make it back to the playoffs and go further in 2016. The bad news? Like most talented teams, they'll have to trim vested veterans and free-agent flops in order to make room for more useful players.

Here are five players the Chiefs need to part ways with and move on from in 2016:

1. Sean Smith

Smith towers over most opposing wide receivers at 6-foot-3. He's a skilled cover man (seven career interceptions) and even better in run defense (222 career tackles). And he's only 29 years old. But all those attributes make him a coveted option on the free-agent market. The Chiefs won't enter an inevitable bidding war with cornerback-needy teams. They've already secured their star of the future in Marcus Peters.

2. Chase Daniel

Daniel had the cushiest job in pro football for quite some time now. The former Missouri Tiger collected $10 million over three years to throw 68 passes as Alex Smith's backup. Now, his reign as the NFL's highest-paid backup quarterback is over. Kansas City should move on to cheaper options and let Daniel cash in elsewhere.

3. Tamba Hali

There's a spot in the team's Ring of Honor waiting for No. 91, but maybe not a spot on the field. Hali needs surgery on a swollen knee before K.C. even entertains his return. That day might never come; the fan favorite will be 33 this year and saw his snap counts diminish toward the end of the season.

4. Dustin Colquitt

He's one of the NFL's preeminent punters, but his contract more than reflects it. Colquitt will count nearly $5 million against the team's 2016 cap; only eight Chiefs carry a higher number. His return could hinge upon his willingness to restructure his bulky contract.

5. Mike DeVito

DeVito happily obliged when the Chiefs asked him to restructure his deal for some 2015 cap relief. But he's on the wrong side of 30, working with a surgically-repaired Achilles tendon, and easily replaceable in a linemen-heavy NFL draft. General manager John Dorsey might want to look elsewhere for run defense and let the free agent walk.

*All salary cap information comes from OverTheCap.com.

Nick Toney covers the AFC West for FOX Sports. Find him on Twitter at @nicktoneytweets.