Chiefs release veterans Mike Williams and Stevie Brown

The Chiefs have until Tuesday to cut their roster from 90 to 75 men, and the club got a jump start on it by releasing veterans Mike Williams and Stevie Brown on Wednesday night.

Brown, 29, has played in 55 games for the Raiders, Colts and Giants, with 20 career starts. He sat out the 2015 season after being waived by the Texans and Giants within a four-month period, but he has a reputation as a big hitter and was signed by the Chiefs in April.

He spent training camp on the second string, with a little first-string work, but was behind Eric Berry, Ron Parker and Daniel Sorensen and was also passed up on the depth chart recently by rookie Eric Murray.

Williams, 29, signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in April after sitting out 2015 following two down seasons in Tampa Bay and Buffalo.

A fourth-round pick by Tampa out of Syracuse in 2010, led all rookies with 65 catches for 964 yards and a franchise-record 11 touchdowns. He also posted solid seasons in 2011 and 2012, averaging 64 catches for 883 yards and six touchdowns, before signing a six-year, $40 million extension in July 2013.

He spent the entirety of training camp on the third team, and while he struggled with drops early on, he seemed to improve in that area, although not enough to challenge for a roster spot at a suddenly-deep position.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Chiefs release veterans Mike Williams and Stevie Brown."