You know it’s getting closer to Super Bowl LIX kickoff when practice squad elevations are officially revealed.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have made elevations on Saturday ahead of the big game on Sunday. One move from the Chiefs falls under the expected category, while the other might surprise some fans. However, if they follow the postseason trends for Kansas City, only one of these two players will be active for Super Bowl Sunday.
Chiefs elevate LB Swayze Bozeman & CB Steven Nelson
The team elevated LB Swayze Bozeman and CB Steven Nelson to the 53-man roster for Super Bowl LIX vs. the Eagles. Bozeman should surprise no one as he’s been elevated in each of the past two games, playing 32 total snaps on special teams, recording tackle against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game on special teams coverage.
Nelson is the surprising elevation for Kansas City. He was signed to the practice squad late in the season as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency player at the cornerback position. Nelson played one season for the Eagles in 2021, and having an opportunity to play in the NFL’s biggest game against his former team would certainly be exciting. The former 2015 Chiefs draft pick has yet to be elevated or appear in a game this season, and this is not necessarily an indication he will be active against the Eagles on Sunday.
→ Swipe to see more articles
As the team did with veteran S Deon Bush in the AFC divisional round and WR Justyn Ross in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs could elevate Nelson only to make him inactive for Super Bowl LIX. Kansas City elevating Nelson is likely their way of giving him a raise/bonus. Practice squad elevations make that player part of the 53-man roster for game day. Even if they’re inactive, they’re eligible for postseason bonus pay. Each player on the winning team for Super Bowl LIX will earn $171K, while each player on the losing team will earn $96K. That’s substantially more than Nelson makes weekly on the practice squad as a vested veteran.
