Kansas City Chiefs camp: Predicting the 53-man roster

Oct 26, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates a first down against the St. Louis Rams in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Tight Ends – 3 – Travis Kelce*, James O’Shaughnessy, Demetrius Harris

Kelce is on the verge of becoming a big star in the NFL if he can improve on his performance from 2014. O’Shaughnessy was drafted in the fifth round and has good size for the position. He has the ability to catch the ball fairly well but will need to work on his strength so he can contribute in more than just the passing game. Harris is an unsure bet right now. After fracturing his foot in November he just had to have surgery again in May. It’s unclear if he will be ready for camp so the next week should be telling.

Tackles – 3 – Eric Fisher*, Donald Stephenson*, Derek Sherrod

Fisher is coming into a very big season for him. Going into his third year things have not gone as planned. It will be interesting to watch him play when he has someone to his right that he trusts because it doesn’t look like there was much trust there in 2014. Stephenson is the wildcard of the offensive line group. It’s possible he faces legitimate competition for his job from both Jeff Allen and Derek Sherrod. If the Chiefs keep Allen and Sherrod it is possible they will start one of them at right tackle and cut Stephenson. Both Allen and Stephenson are in contract years so both should be highly motivated to perform well.

Guards – 4 – Ben Grubbs*, Jeff Allen*, Zach Fulton, Paul Fanaika

With the addition of Ben Grubbs the Chiefs provided Fisher with a player he can trust on his inside shoulder. Grubbs is a former Pro-Bowler and should be a monumental upgrade to McGlynn. Allen is competing for the starting position at guard as well as tackle and if he doesn’t end up at guard could force Stephenson off the roster. Fulton was the starter in 2014 so I don’t expect him to give up the job easily and Fanaika was added in the offseason on a three year deal so he is probably safe unless the Chiefs add a certain FA guard. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif will be interesting to watch at the guard position. He has played exclusively at guard since playing tackle in college but at this point the only way he makes it is if Stephenson or Sherrod aren’t on the team on cut day.

Centers – 2 – Eric Kush*, Mitch Morse

Eric Kush enters his third year in the Chiefs offense and has seen most of the snaps to this point. He has added bulk and has embraced his competition with Mitch Morse wholeheartedly. Morse could start at center or even be a fifth candidate at right guard but his versatility is what made him so valuable to John Dorsey and Andy Reid. The Chiefs have had an affinity for drafting lineman and then sitting them for a year so it isn’t going to be surprising if Morse doesn’t start in 2015 but I expect he will get playing time.

Next: The Defense