KC Chiefs have maxed out competition at wide receiver

Earlier this week, the K.C. Chiefs announced a series of minor roster moves. The transactions featured a number of fringe roster players who are hoping to turn heads despite the long odds against them. Among them was the signing of Daurice Fountain, a new wideout who spent the last few years with the Indianapolis Colts.

Even as the Chiefs decided to rid the roster of another wideout in order to accommodate the move—they released former Titans WR Tajae Sharpe—this still left the Chiefs with a pretty startling number of players at the position. At present, the Chiefs have 14 players vying for active roster spots at wide receiver. Fourteen.

The Chiefs have maxed out the competition at wideout in each of the last two offseason. Last year at this time, they also had 14 players hoping to make an impact in an offense known for its firepower and on special teams units typically known for their excellence. Yet in years past, the competition wasn’t nearly as steep. In 2019, there were 12 wide receivers on the 90-man roster at this point with one more than that (13) in 2018.

While these numbers might not seem that egregious if previous years were so similar, just remember that each roster spot represents another position at which they cannot add a player. One more wide receiver—say, the leap from 13 to 14—is another developmental pass rusher who is not protected, another corner who can’t compete for a roster spot. These sorts of observations tell us where the club feels the most uncertain for both the short-term and the long-term, and this makes plenty of sense at WR.

The Chiefs have 14 players on the roster vying for wide receiver spots.

Just last year, we learned and then promptly forgot names like Aleva Hifo, Cody White, Justice Shelton-Mosley, and Andrea Baccellia. However, Maurice Ffrench remains a part of the roster from last year’s crop of rookie free agents and Jody Fortson has done the same for another year than that.

So who will potentially be sticking around after this offseason? And which names will be forgotten? The Chiefs have taken flyers on a few journeymen this spring like Fountain, Antonio Callaway, Chad Williams, and Chris Finke. They’ve also asked Dalton Schoen to stick around an undrafted rookie from Kansas State. With familiar faces like Marcus Kemp and Gehrig Dieter also in the fold with fifth round pick Cornell Powell, the position is loaded up again with plenty of competition.

Fortunately for this year’s contestants, the Chiefs are a team looking for solutions both now and later. Demarcus Robinson is on a one-year deal, and Byron Pringle is scheduled to hit free agency as well. Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman will be free agents the following year. That’s not to say the Chiefs can’t or won’t bring them all back—let’s be honest: Hill will play in K.C. as long as he wants—but there’s plenty of space for younger faces to start to emerge for Dave Toub’s special teams units and to potentially climb the depth chart on offense.

A best-case scenario is if Ffrench, Fortson or Schoen end up impressing coaches enough to stick around because they are all exclusive rights free agents for next season, which means they’re going to stick around on cost-controlled deals if the Chiefs like them. For now, however, it’s clear that the Chiefs are wanting to maximize the competition at the position in hopes that someone stands out among the large group assembled.