The four biggest roster questions for the Kansas City Chiefs

Cornerback

I debated on wether or not to include cornerback on this list. The fact is the Chiefs have more options at corner than they do at the other positions on this list, but there are still a lot of questions. With the recent trade for former first round pick Mike Hughes, they now have five players that could realistically compete for regular playing time and that doesn’t even include Tyrann Mathieu who lines up in the slot on a regular basis.

The group of L’Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, Rashad Fenton, Mike Hughes, and Deandre Baker make up a talented group of young corners with plenty of upside. There just isn’t a lot of proven commodities in the group. Sneed looked like a star in the making last season as a rookie. I certainly have big hopes for Sneed, but it looks like K.C. will now likely start him primarily on the outside after he played a lot in the slot last year. Will he have a sophomore slump? Will he only continue to develop? While he’s the most exciting player on this list there are still some questions with him.

Ward is the most proven player on this list, but even he has been up and down. Sometimes Ward looks like a dependable above average starting outside corner. Other times he goes through stretches where he struggles. Do the Chiefs see him as a long term answer that they’ll eventually sign long term or do they have some consistency concerns and are looking to upgrade the position?

Fenton has shown some upside in a limited role, but is he ready to be Chiefs third corner behind Sneed and Ward? The fact that the Chiefs seem to still be looking at other options makes you wonder. Fenton is the kind of guy you are happy to have on the roster and you feel fine if he is playing, but it’s certainly possible to find someone with a higher ceiling as well.

Baker and Hughes are both intriguing options. The two former first-round picks clearly have some unrealized upside, but there is at least some reason to doubt if they will ever fully realize it. Baker made some bad choices off the field and struggled on it some as well, but looked like he might be a good fit in K.C. before breaking his leg late last season. If he’s fully healthy, he gives K.C. another player who could compete for some snaps on the outside. Hughes meanwhile could be an option in the slot. While he lacks some length and deep speed, he is feisty and physical. If both of these two can get their careers back on track in K.C. their secondary will be impressive, but if they both fizzle out, it means that they could be short on quality corners.

Bashaud Breeland is still available on the open market, but the fact that the Chiefs traded for Hughes over signing him could be a sign that they’d prefer to play Sneed and Ward on the outside this season and are looking for help inside instead. It will be interesting to see how the depth at this position plays out and who ends up seeing the most snaps. I’m hopeful for the cornerback position this season, but it’s far from a sure thing. Here’s to hoping at least one of the former first round picks lives up to their upside.

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Those are the four positions where I think the Chiefs have the most questions this season. I’m personally the most concerned about the defensive end production, but I’ll also feel a lot better if someone takes a commanding hold on the starting right tackle position. So what do you think? Do you agree that these four positions have the most questions as things currently stand? Do you think there are other positions with more questions? Do you feel good enough about any of these positions that you don’t think they should be on this list? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.