Five surprise players on Chiefs roster bubble

Now, a lot of you have probably gotten through this list and said: “What about ‘Player X'”.  Well, I’m not deaf to the rumblings of the Chiefs blogosphere, and I have a pretty good idea of who some of those guys might be.  Some of them didn’t make the list because it wouldn’t be a surprise, while others were left off because they simply have no business being let go right now.  So here’s why these guys didn’t make the cut…

Knile Davis: We’ll start with the easiest one.  Knile Davis isn’t a “surprise player” for the roster bubble because it wouldn’t be a surprise.  It’s pretty well known that the team has been shopping him around, and with the crowded backfield, Davis is actually expected to not make the roster.  That simple.

DeAnthony Thomas: Pretty much the same story as Knile Davis except the team hasn’t admitted to shopping him.  Most fans and pundits seem to expect that he’ll be replaced by Tyreek Hill.  The real “surprise” here would be if Thomas ends up on the 2016 squad…even though there really is a good chance of that happening.

Albert Wilson: When the Chiefs signed Rod Streater, it was almost as if the fan base couldn’t get rid of Wilson fast enough.  Personally, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  Apart from Maclin, Wilson was the only receiver on the roster to put together anything resembling a decent season this past year.  And realistically, he’s out-performed a lot of Chiefs receivers from recent memory.  Wilson would be a “surprise” on the roster bubble simply because there is no real reason for him to be there.

Even with Streater, Robinson, and Hill added to the mix, Wilson easily makes the cut as the sixth best receiver…and that’s assuming all three of those other guys AND Conley are better than him this year (far from a given).  And just a little Fun Fact: In 2015, Wilson gained more receiving yards than the 2014 and 2015 totals of Streater, Conley, and Mike Williams…COMBINED.

Josh Mauga: He’s an easy name to consider with what we saw from Ramik Wilson and Justin March last season.  The problem is that while those guys give a lot of reason to be hopeful for the future, there is still some room for growth.

Another season (and a first season for March) of playing the depth/role position will be good for both players.  And while that’s happening, Mauga is an affordable and stable piece to keep in the middle of the defense.  No reason to mess with that.

Jamaal Charles: Yep, saving the big one for last.  We’ve all seen the rumblings this offseason.  After Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware filled in, and the Chiefs won a bunch of games, with Charles on IR, it’s really not surprising that the fan base is excited about the youngsters.  What IS surprising is how quickly so many fans were willing to turn on a guy who has been the face of the franchise (not to mention almost the entirety of the offense) for the last half decade.

The Chiefs have no reason to move on from Charles.  He’s affordable and, if healthy, one of the most dynamic big play threats in the NFL.  You don’t just let that guy walk when you’re talking about making a Super Bowl run.

There will always be someone who surprises fans when the final cuts come out.  The league is ever changing, and teams are constantly looking for new (and cheaper) ways to get the job done.  That puts veteran players on the chopping block constantly.  Even Frank Zombo stated his surprise at just being re-signed this year given the nature of the league.  That said, I could be way off-base on my predictions…or dead on…or somewhere in the middle.  We shall see.