Chiefs expected to release wide receiver Dwayne Bowe

It appears Dwayne Bowe’s tenure as a Kansas City Chief will soon come to an end.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs are expected to release Bowe this week. Rapoport was more specific, saying the move will happen on Wednesday.

Bowe, a 30-year-old receiver whose salary cap number is $14 million for 2015, has averaged 58 catches and 713 yards in his two seasons under coach Andy Reid. This year, Bowe was a part of a wide receiving corps that did not score a touchdown all season in 2014.

His salary — Bowe is playing on a five-year, $56 million contract that runs through 2017 — and his average production make Bowe an obvious candidate for release. Doing so would create $5 million in cap space in 2015 but would also stick the Chiefs with $9 million in dead money this season.

The Chiefs have the option of designating Bowe as a post-June 1 cut, which ultimately will save them $11 million (with $3 million in dead money) in 2015, but there are some catches.

First off, doing so would not help them this month; Bowe’s full salary would remain on the books until June 2, which means the Chiefs would not benefit from the additional space immediately.

Also, placing the post-June 1 designation on Bowe would cause the Chiefs to have up to $6 million in dead money in 2016, so they’d essentially be kicking their cap issues down the road.

All teams had to be under the cap by the start of the new league year, which started at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The Chiefs already have Bowe’s replacement in the fold, however, as a source told The Star on Sunday that former Philadelphia Eagles and Missouri Tigers receiver Jeremy Maclin has agreed to a five-year deal with the team worth an average of $11 million per season.

Maclin’s contract was expected to be announced Tuesday, but agreements can sometimes be delayed until players can undergo physicals and sign their contract.

But the Chiefs did make another move official Tuesday, signing veteran safety Tyvon Branch to aid a thin safety corps.

“We are excited we were able to reach a deal with Tyvon and bring him to Kansas City,” Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said in a release. “He is a physical player who we feel can help our defense. We’re looking forward to having him.”

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported Branch’s one-year contract contains a base salary of $2 million with in-game bonuses of up to $2 million.

Branch, 28, started 57 consecutive games for the Raiders from 2009 to 2012 before injuries derailed his last two seasons. During that period, Branch, a 6-foot, 210-pounder who is regarded as more of a box safety, averaged 107 combined tackles and four pass deflections per season.

In 2014, Branch had 30 combined tackles in only three games before suffering a season-ending foot injury. In 2013, had five combined tackles in two games before he broke his leg.

Branch signed a four-year, $26 million extension with the Raiders before the 2012 season. He was released in February, creating $3 million in cap space for the Raiders.

Branch should, at the very least, help the Chiefs’ depth at the position. Starter Husain Abdullah, 29, is set to return, but he is entering the final year of his contract. Meanwhile, star safety Eric Berry is battling lymphoma, and two other key contributors at the position — Kurt Coleman and Ron Parker — are slated for unrestricted free agency.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Chiefs expected to release wide receiver Dwayne Bowe."