Mid-preseason KC Chiefs 53-man roster predictions

Defensive Ends: George Karlaftis, Frank Clark, Carlos Dunlap, Mike Danna, Joshua Kaindoh

George Karlaftis will be starting week one, guaranteed. Players who show up like Karlaftis did during Saturday’s preseason game do not sit on the bench during the regular season. He had his hands on Justin Fields and then Trevor Siemian before they even had a chance to read their routes. His explosiveness around the corner was scary and will earn him many reps this season.

Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap are the perfect duo to split the other edge. Clark can not go like he used to and his tank is limited. Dunlap can not go like he used to and his tank is limited. The ability to swap the veterans and bring varying skills to the edge opposite of Karlaftis is very helpful in giving the Chiefs a formidable pass rush for the first time in almost a decade.

Defensive Tackles: Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Khaulen Saunders, Tershawn Wharton

Chris Jones can not be double-teamed every down if the Chiefs have a threat at almost every position on the line, which may make for a big year for a defensive player desperately in need of a big year. Derrick Nnadi and Khaulen Saunders are big boys who look to stuff holes and showed speed in the preseason game, which is scary to say about defensive tackles. Tershawn Wharton is very underrated and fans should not be surprised when he gets featured often in blitz packages.

Linebackers: Nick Bolton, Willie Gay Jr., Leo Chenal, Elijah Lee, Darius Harris

Steve Spagnuolo will blitz, even when it makes no sense, and in order to have success doing that, he needs speed at linebacker. Introducing Leo Chenal, a man who has “Death Row” written across his forearm and gets excited at the thought of hitting someone in the mouth. His downhill speed is scary and if he can squeeze through your line, he is going to get your ball carrier. Willie Gay Jr. has become the face of the Chiefs’ defense after the departure of Tyrann Mathieu and will look to show the growth he has shown every year since being drafted. Nick Bolton showed speed last year and an ability to find the ball carrier close to the line of scrimmage. This is an exciting and young group to watch.

Cornerbacks: L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Rashad Fenton

This position should likely worry the Chiefs’ fans the most. Not that there is no talent here, but there is not a talent in this group that has established themselves as a dependable starter on first, second, and third down. Rashad Fenton will likely be getting several reps early in the season with the chance to earn his stake as the front-runner in the position. L’Jarius Sneed struggled in 2021 but may be helped as a ballhawk with a more violent front seven.

Safeties: Justin Reid, Juan Thornhill, Bryan Cook, Deon Bush

The Kansas City secondary is not all bad, with the safety position holding a majority of that group’s talent. Justin Reid may not be an improvement over Tyrann Mathieu, but he is also a completely different player that will do more to assist Juan Thornhill. Thornhill was sat behind Daniel Sorenson often in 2021, to the frustration of online fans, however, he will have many more starting reps in 2022 and get the opportunity to return to his 2019 levels.

Kicker: Harrison Butker

Justin Reid should get to kick a long field goal if the Chiefs are blowing out a team.

Punter: Tommy Townsend

Whatever, let Justin Reid punt it too.