Kansas City Chiefs: Pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction

ST JOSEPH, MISSOURI - JULY 30: Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes #15, Anthony Gordon #8 and Shane Buechele #6 of the Kansas City Chiefs look on during drills at training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 30, 2021 in St Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
ST JOSEPH, MISSOURI - JULY 30: Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes #15, Anthony Gordon #8 and Shane Buechele #6 of the Kansas City Chiefs look on during drills at training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 30, 2021 in St Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
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L’Jarius Sneed #38 of the Kansas City Chiefsi. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
L’Jarius Sneed #38 of the Kansas City Chiefsi. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Cornerbacks (5)

  1. L’Jarius Sneed
  2. Trent McDuffie
  3. Rashad Fenton
  4. Lonnie Johnson
  5. Joshua Williams

Safeties (4)

  1. Justin Reid
  2. Juan Thornhill
  3. Bryan Cook
  4. Deon Bush

This was another hard group for me to predict. If the Chiefs were to keep a tenth defensive back, there are so many options to choose from. Rookies Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson were seventh-round draft picks and have a shot to earn a spot. Deandre Baker is a former first-round draft pick who has been around for a couple of years in K.C. now. Dicaprio Bootle flashed some upside last season and Zayne Anderson and Devon Key are younger guys that have special teams potential. That’s six more guys that have a fighting chance to make it.

I think L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton are locks at corner because of their experience (and talent). I think Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams are both locks at corner as well because of their draft capital. I think Lonnie Johnson makes a lot of sense as a veteran guy with playing experience and I think he fits K.C.’s ideal outside physical corner mold better than Baker does. Justin Reid, Juan Thornhill, and Bryan Cook are all locks at safety. I think Bush’s experience both as a safety and a special teams contributor makes him a pretty safe bet as well.

Let’s wrap this up with K.C.’s specialists and a few closing thoughts.

Schedule