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KC Chiefs: The six toughest roster cutdown decisions

By Lyle Graversen

Jul 28, 2021; St. Joseph, MO, United States; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jody Fortson (88) catches a pass during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2021; St. Joseph, MO, United States; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jody Fortson (88) catches a pass during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 14, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Shon Coleman (78) blocks Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tim Ward (92) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Shon Coleman (78) blocks Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tim Ward (92) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

Does Experience Or Upside Matter More At Defensive End?

The Chiefs defense has looked good this preseason. The interior defensive line is loaded, but there is still some questions with the defensive end depth. K.C. already released Taco Charlton, who many fans thought would be a regular contributor before camp started, but he never seemed quite full speed after his injury last season.

Chris Jones is going to play plenty on the outside in the base defense this year and Frank Clark is obviously a lock for another season. I would also put Mike Danna on the lock list as he is strong against the run and has started any time K.C. has held Clark out this preseason. I also think Joshua Kaindoh has shown more than enough potential to make the draft pick a lock for the 5- man roster as well. If you count Jones as an end, that gives K.C. four locks to make the team there.

Will the Chiefs keep five or six players at that position? Alex Okafor, Tim Ward, and Demone Harris all deserve consideration for making this team and only one or two of them will. The question here is what will K.C. prioritize most when making that decision?

Okafor is the most proven and has plenty of starting experience, but seems to have constant injury issues that hold him back. Ward probably has the most pass rush upside, but is probably the most inconsistent of the three. Harris (who doesn’t get talked about by fans much) is probably somewhere between the two. He’s more consistent than Ward (and played ahead of him at times this preseason), but probably doesn’t have as much pass rush upside.

If K.C. keeps two of these guys will they go with the veteran and the pass rush upside in Okafor and Ward? If they only keep one will they like Okafor’s experience or will his injury issues scare them away? If they only keep one will they surprise a lot of fans and go with Harris who is consistent and doesn’t have the injury history or does what Ward has flashed as a pass rusher make him the best pick? This is a spot where I’m really curious how things will end up.

Next up, how will the linebacker depth shape up?

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