Predicting Kansas City Chiefs final 53-man roster for 2022 season

Wide Receivers: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Daurice Fountain

I struggled with this position a ton as I debated whether to carry Corey Coleman as a seventh receiver/returner but decided against it. JuJu, MVS, Hardman, and Skyy Moore are locks to make the team, while Justin Watson has most certainly earned a spot on the team. That leaves one more spot. I went with Daurice Fountain because he is a Dave Toub favorite on special teams, which could be the determining factor for him. Josh Gordon has had a good run but I think his time on the active roster in Kansas City is over for the near future. Justin Watson can also play a hybrid offense/special teams role.

Tight Ends: Travis Kelce, Jody Fortson, Noah Gray

Tight end is a very strange position to project for the Chiefs as Blake Bell’s injury timeline is an unknown so it’s difficult to predict whether he lands on IR (with the ability to return) or the Chiefs roll with him on the active roster until he’s ready to go. In the end, I think KC will place him on IR. Travis Kelce and Jody Fortson are locks to make the team while Noah Gray should be safe as well. I brought up the possibility of trading for current New Orleans Saints depth tight end Nick Vannett due to Kansas City’s need for a pure blocking tight end but I think the Chiefs will roll with what they have in the end, though I’m personally not too comfortable with it.

Offensive Tackles: Orlando Brown Jr., Geron Christian, Andrew Wylie, Prince Tega Wanogho

Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie are locked in to make the team since they’ll likely be the starting tackles to begin the season, Geron Christian is projected to serve as the swing tackle this year, and Prince Tega Wanogho is a high-upside depth option for the Chiefs. Lucas Niang was recently placed on the PUP list and should return in the middle of the season from a patellar injury suffered last season.

Interior Offensive Linemen: Joe Thuney, Nick Allegretti, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Darian Kinnard

This group here is pretty straightforward. Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith form one of the best interior offensive lines in all of football and Nick Allegretti is a solid depth option. I think that the Chiefs would be wise to keep Darian Kinnard on the active roster, despite his very disappointing month of August, due to his potential and I’m not sure that the team is comfortable risking him o waivers. One thing that to watch for is whether center Austin Reiter makes the final roster. The issue with him is that he’s almost a pure center and it’s unknown whether the Chiefs are comfortable with him at either guard spot. It has been reported that Kansas City has lined up Allegretti in camp so that may be enough to push Reiter off the active roster.