As young football teams grow and get deeper, roster spots become harder and harder to snag for young and undrafted players.
A lot of the players we saw stinking up the field at Arrowhead on Friday night were guys that aren’t going to be wearing red come September 11th when the Buffalo Bills come to town.
Still, some of those guys might sneak on to the roster. But who? How many spots are actually available?
I decided to do a breakdown of all the guys currently on the KC Chiefs roster. I’ve identified 45 roster spots I think are already pretty much locked up. Anything can happen but most of these 46 will probably make the team.
That leaves just seven roster spots up for grabs. By my count, about 31 players are fighting for those spots. I thought it would be a fun project if we all tried to pick the final roster by filling the last eight slots.
Check it out, after the jump.
These are guys, broken down by position, that I think are pretty much locks to make the team.
QB:
- Matt Cassel
- Ricky Stanzi
- Tyler Palko or generic veteran backup
RB:
- Jamaal Charles
- Thomas Jones
- Dexter McCluster
FB:
- Le’Ron McClain
- Shane Bannon
WR:
- Dwayne Bowe
- Steve Breaston
- Jonthan Baldwin
- Verran Tucker
- Jerheme Urban
OT:
- Branden Albert
- Jared Gaither
- Barry Richardson
G:
- Ryan Lilja
- Jon Asamoah
C:
- Casey Wiegmann
- Rodney Hudson
TE:
- Tony Moeaki
- Leonard Pope
- Jake O’Connel
Defense:
DE:
- Glenn Dorsey
- Tyson Jackson
- Wallace Gilberry
- Allen Bailey
NT:
- Kelly Gregg
- Jerrell Powe
OLB:
- Tamba Hali
- Andy Studebaker
- Justin Houston
- Cameron Sheffield
- Gabe Miller
MLB:
- Derrick Johnson
- Jovan Belcher
- Brandon Siler
- Demorrio Williams
CB:
- Brandon Flowers
- Brandon Carr
- Javier Arenas
- Jalil Brown
SS:
- Eric Berry
FS:
- Kendrick Lewis
K:
- Ryan Succop
P:
- Dustin Colquitt
If I am right in my projections, or reasonably close, then these are the guys fighting for the remaining spots:
Offense:
WR: Jeremy Horne, Chandler Williams, Josue Paul
LT: David Mims, Butch Lewis
LG: Darryl Harris, Lucas Patterson
C: Darryl Harris
RG: Bobby Greenwood, Mike Ingersoll, Chris Harr
RT: Ryan O’Callaghan
TE: Cody Slate, Charlie Gantt
WR: Terrance Copper, Zeke Markshausen, Keary Colbert, Chris Manno
FB: Mike Cox, Tervaris Johnson
RB: Jackie Battle
DEFENSE
LDE: Amon Gordon
NT: Anthony Toribio
RDE: Dion Gales, Brandon Bair
LOLB:
LILB: Justin Cole, Amara Kamara
RILB: Cory Greenwood, Micah Johnson
ROLB: Pierre Walters, Eric Bakhtiari, Gabe Miller
LCB: Travis Daniels, Quinten Lawrence, Demond Washington
RCB: Mario Russell
SS: Reshard Langford, Donald Washington
FS: Jon McGraw, Sabby PIscitelli, Ricky Price, Javes Lewis
Here is my guess right now, for the final seven spots:
1. David Mims
2. Darryl Harris
3. Quinten Lawrence
4. Anthony Toribio
5. Terrance Copper
6. Reshard Langford
7. Jon McGraw
Some notes:
-I could see Gabe Miller or Sheffield getting cut. They might only keep one.
-The need depth at safety desperately so I think Langford and McGraw sneak in.
-I could see Torinio getting cut and being kept on speed dial in case someone gets hurt.
That is my early projection. Who are your final seven? Would you switch out any of my locks?