3 KC Chiefs players climbing the depth chart after Week 14
By Jacob Milham
The Kansas City Chiefs depth chart is evolving as the season progresses. Here are three players trending upwards after Week 14.
An NFL depth chart is never supposed to stay the same throughout a full season. Players suffer season-ending injuries, veterans don’t pan out, and rookies emerge—all that and more are reasons for the ebbs and flows of an NFL depth chart.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a few players who will always stay on top. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, linebacker Nick Bolton, tight end Travis Kelce, and defensive tackle Chris Jones are the first that come to mind. Those players are simply better and more integral to their respective units than other players. I’m not knocking the other 49 members of the Chiefs’ roster, but that’s football.
Under the surface, though, there are a few players that have changed their standing on the depth chart. For example, cornerback Joshua Williams rose from a special-teams player to Kansas City’s CB3 as the season progressed. Some players might out-snap others week by week, depending on injuries, matchups, and more. The depth chart is not nearly as important this late in the regular season, but it still shows progression and regression over the span of a season.
There are three players who have visibly risen up the depth chart during the 2022 season. Who are these players, and why has their standing improved?
Wide receiver Justin Watson
Wide receiver Justin Watson started off 2022 as a fringe member of the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. Now, he is the team’s WR2 over Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore. Sure, Watson’s snap count skyrocketed after Mecole Hardman went down due to injury. But his usage remained high alongside Kadarius Toney in limited action. The snap counts fluctuate over a season, but Watson was clearly the team’s WR4 when Hardman was healthy. Once Toney and Hardman return to full strength, Watson’s usage will certainly decrease. But, for now, Watson is a more reliable target than Valdes-Scantling and provides a safe presence in the punt return game as well.
Running back Jerick McKinnon
The Isiah Pacheco hype train is running wild through Chiefs Kingdom. While Pacheco is a great rookie success story, veteran Jerick McKinnon is Kansas City’s RB1. He is the best pass protector and receiving threat in Kansas City’s running back room, fitting well into head coach Andy Reid’s scheme.
Reid himself characterized McKinnon as a “dinosaur” due to the physical toll of playing running back in the NFL. But Pacheco and McKinnon have complimented each other well in recent weeks. In the past six games, McKinnon has out-snapped Pacheco four times. McKinnon was the Chiefs’ best running back this past postseason. He looks poised to be that again down the stretch of the 2022 season.
Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders
Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders has always had the athletic ability to play in the NFL, but his health has kept him off the field. Now, Saunders has stayed available and emerged as Kansas City’s DT2 behind Chris Jones. Saunders has been a ball of energy on the field but remained best known for backflips in college rather than NFL production.
Due to injury and inconsistency, he only appeared in 10 games over the last two seasons. Once Wharton’s season ended early, Saunder’s opportunities increased. But then he began outperforming Derrick Nnadi and surpassed him in the snap count. Neither has been particularly dominant, despite playing alongside Jones. However, it is good to see Saunders carve out a role higher on Kansas City’s depth chart.