Predicting the Kansas City Chiefs 53-man roster
Our own Brandon Norris takes a predictive look at the Kansas City Chiefs and tries to guess what a 53-man roster might resemble in the end.
I am going to take a shot at a 53 man roster prediction before the preseason officially begins. It’s tough trying to predict this early, but I am willing to give it a go.
With less than a week before the preseason begins ,there is a lot left unanswered. The Chiefs will have to be down to a 53-man roster from the current 90-man roster on September 1st. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Chiefs roster this deep, which means the team’s front office is going to have some tough decisions over the next few weeks.
Here is a look at the offensive and defensive players I have making the 53-man roster prior to the preseason kicking off.
Quarterback
(3) Make: Patrick Mahomes / Chad Henne / Chase Litton
(1) Miss: Matt McGloin
Patrick Mahomes is the starter; it’s as simple as that. The Chiefs traded up 17 spots in the 2017 NFL Draft to select Mahomes ahead of the New Orleans Saints. Then they traded away Alex Smith after the 2017 season because of the trust and belief they have in Mahomes.
Chad Henne, a veteran who has been in the league for 11 years, is the obvious choice here at back-up. Henne spent 4 years with the Miami Dolphins and 6 years with the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the Chiefs in March. Although he isn’t a guaranteed lock for the QB2 spot, it seems pretty certain.
For the QB3 spot, it’s a battle between five year veteran Matt McGloin and undrafted free agent Chase Litton. McGloin himself was a UDFA picked up by the Oakland Raiders in 2013. He spent time with the Houston Texans last season, before being signed by the Chiefs shortly after they signed Henne.
Litton has shown promise in camp and seems to have a pretty good upside. If we are talking talent alone, it could be arguable that Litton could be the QB2. However, with his little experience in the NFL he won’t be a QB2 just yet. So I’m giving the edge to Litton as securing the QB3 spot as he can offer everything McGloin can minus experience, which is where Henne comes in as the QB2.
Running Back
(5) Make: Kareem Hunt / Spencer Ware / Damien Williams / Darrel Williams / Anthony Sherman
(3) Miss: Charcandrick West / Kerwynn Williams / Algernon Brown / JD Moore (IR)
Kareem Hunt is the league’s returning rushing leader, so RB1 is no question.
Unless something unexpected happens, Spencer Ware will be RB2. Ware would have been a really nice addition to Hunt last season, however, Hunt may have not become the starter without Ware getting injured prior to start of season. With Hunt as the clear-cut starter and Ware as a pretty clear RB2, the Chiefs are going to have a very nice backfield duo come regular season.
Beyond Ware there is a lot of competition fighting for the RB3 spot (or maybe the RB4 spot if they do choose to keep that many). You have Charcandrick West, Damien Williams, Darrel Williams and Kerwynn Williams all competing for that final spot or two. West has been with the Chiefs since being signed as a UDFA in 2014. He’s a great blocker and decent ball carrier.
Damien Williams has looked fantastic in camp as a receiving back, while being 1 of the best route runners on the team. Darrel Williams has seemed to excel at pass blocking which can’t be overlooked with our young quarterback under center. Kerwynn Williams, at this point, is buried on the depth chart and not outperforming any of the above backs.
West’s cap hit this year is 2.036 million, while all three of the Williams combined would form a cap hit of 2.237 million. With this factored in along with the fact that none of these four will be the RB2, makes me lean away from West making the final roster this season.
Algernon Brown is behind Anthony Sherman and there isn’t much competition there. Barring some kind of injury, Sherman is the only FB we keep and Brown, at very best, could make the Practice Squad, although it’s unlikely.
Wide Receiver
(6) Make: Tyreek Hill / Sammy Watkins / Demarcus Robinson / Chris Conley / De’Anthony Thomas / Jehu Chesson
(6) Miss: Byron Pringle / Jordan Smallwood / Josh Crockett / Gehrig Dieter / Daniel Braverman / Marcus Kemp
Do I really need to mention Tyreek Hill or Sammy Watkins, who just signed a 3-year 48 Million Dollar contract with the Chiefs, as players who will make the roster? Chris Conley and DeMarcus Robinson both have made strides and are looking really good in chemistry with Mahomes. Conley in his fourth season & Robinson in his third both are looking to make a name for themselves with contract years either this year or next.
Andy Reid traditionally keeps six wide receivers on the roster. De’Anthony Thomas just took a cheaper deal to re-sign with Chiefs than he could have got to go elsewhere. Thomas also looks much improved in route running and general mechanics this season. Jehu “Jedi” Chesson is in his second season with the team is also coming along nicely. While one of these other young guys could find a way to squeeze on roster, I don’t think any of them have necessarily out-performed Thomas or Chesson enough to vindicate them taking over a roster spot.
Tight End
(3) Make: Travis Kelce / Alex Ellis / Jace Amaro
(3) Miss: Demetrius Harris / Blake Mack / Tim Wright
Travis Kelce is in. That’s simple enough..
Most have Demetrius Harris as an almost lock at the second tight end position. However, I am not so certain. Alex Ellis, Jace Amaro and Blake Mack have all looked pretty impressive during training camp. Similar to the West situation, the decision for Harris could come down to money and the fact others are performing very well. Harris’s cap hit is $2.3 million, while the other three combined only total $1.9M. So the Chiefs could have all their TE depth for less than the price of Harris alone. There is still also Tim Wright who I haven’t forgotten about; he is just buried on the depth chart and doesn’t look to be getting out at this point.