How does the Kansas City Chiefs roster compare to 2018?
By Drew Brooks
2018 wide receivers (6): Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, De’Anthony Thomas, Marcus Kemp
2019 wide receivers (5): Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle
The Chiefs’ wide receiver’s have not changed much since last year. Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins are still the number one and two receivers. But what has changed is the third wide receiver position as well as the competition for that spot. Chris Conley left the Chiefs in free agency this year and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. As a result, Demarcus Robinson is next in line for the third receiver position.
The Chiefs drafted Mecole Hardman this year, a speedy receiver from the University of Georgia, who provides another scoring threat. While he might not make an impact on the offense right away, he can certainly make an impact on special teams if the Chiefs want to protect Tyreek Hill from injury risk.
Last year, Byron Pringle almost made the team but ended up on IR from a hamstring injury. This year, after being projected to make the roster, he proved himself and made the final roster.
The Chiefs also brought back wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas. However, he’s suspended for one game this season due to marijuana possession. This means that he’s in limbo for the first week, and the Chiefs were able to keep another player on the roster. After Thomas serves his suspension, the Chiefs will have to make a corresponding move to bring him back to the active roster.
2018 tight ends (2): Travis Kelce, Alex Ellis
2019 tight ends (3): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Deon Yelder
The tight end position has hardly changed since last season. Travis Kelce, the best tight end in the NFL, is obviously the Chiefs’ number one tight end. He’s coming off the best season of his career, where he put up 1336 yards and 10 touchdowns on 103 receptions. If Patrick Mahomes plays like he did last year, Kelce is in for another career year.
Though the names have changed, what hasn’t changed behind Kelce is depth. The Chiefs have no significant tight ends behind Kelce in the unwanted event of injury. Last year the Chiefs had Alex Ellis behind Kelce for the first game and then Demetrius Harris after he served a one-game suspension.
This year, the Chiefs have Blake Bell and Deon Yelder. The Chiefs signed Blake Bell, “The Belldozer,” a native of Wichita, Kansas who was a star quarterback at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School. Bell has been in the NFL since 2015 and has some experience, but in terms of talent, the Chiefs will be in trouble if they have to turn to Bell for a significant period of time this season.
Deon Yelder is the Chiefs’ other backup option. Yelder hurt his ankle in preseason, which caused some to speculate that he would be placed on IR. However, his ankle doesn’t appear to be a major issue, because the Chiefs kept him on the final roster. Yelder has yet to catch a pass or be targeted in the NFL regular season, but based on preseason and practice, the Chiefs believed he looked good enough to make the team.
Next, let’s turn to defense and check out the defensive line.