The NFL's deadline for roster cuts is on a Sunday afternoon this year. By 4:00 p.m. ET, every team must submit a final 53-man roster, setting 37 players free from each team in a wild frenzy of activity. Shortly before the deadline, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Seattle Seahawks in their third and final preseason game, giving players on the bubble a last chance to show what they can do.
Fans won't know what the 53-man roster resembles until the end of the weekend, but we thought we'd take our best guess at what things could look like. We identified the single toughest call at each position while paring things down, and it's clear that general manager Brett Veach has some agonizing decisions ahead of him.
Final Kansas City Chiefs 53-man roster prediction for the 2026 season
Specialists (3): Harrison Butker, K; Matt Araiza, P; James Winchester, LS
Radiohead has the right answer here: No alarms and no surprises. The veteran holdovers are back once again.
Safeties (4): Alohi Gilman, Chamarri Conner, Jaden Hicks, Xavier Nwankpa
Most difficult cut: DeShon Singleton
Safety is a spot to watch for potential roster additions. Gilman, Conner, and Hicks are the obvious core. From there, things get interesting. Xavier Nwankpa has been a good story, but for a unit that's dealt with late-preseason injuries to both starters (Gilman and Conner), it feels like Brett Veach could add a veteran to the mix, à la Mike Edwards or Deon Bush in seasons past.
Cornerbacks (6): Mansoor Delane, L'Jarius Sneed, Chris Roland-Wallace, Kristian Fulton, Nohl Williams, Jadon Canady
Most difficult cut: Kader Kohou
A completely rebuilt cornerbacks room actually looks stronger than anyone could have predicted after the offseason turnover. Roland-Wallace looks like the early favorite for slot corner, while Canady is the hopeful long-term play. That leaves former Dolphin Kader Kohou on the outs, but that's one of the toughest calls on this list.
Linebackers (5): Drue Tranquill, Nick Bolton, Jeff Bassa, Cooper McDonald, Jack Cochrane
Most difficult cut: Cam Jones
Nothing notable here. The veteran anchors in Tranquill and Bolton are obvious. So are the second-year players set for more reps: Bassa and McDonald. Cochrane is in play here as the super sub and core special-teamer, but that could easily be Cam Jones or Cole Christensen as well.
Defensive Linemen (9): Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, R Mason Thomas, Peter Woods, Khyiris Tonga, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Ashton Gillotte, Emmanuel Ogbah, Marcus Harris
Most difficult cut: Tyreke Smith
This is the deepest the Chiefs line has looked coming into a new season in a long, long time. It will be interesting to see how the team views Manny Ogbah after a couple of preseason appearances. The vet could either be a nice addition to raise the floor or too old to move the needle. It feels right to have him on the roster at this point, especially with Ashton Gillotte's ruptured plantar fascia. Marcus Harris makes the team only because Omarr Norman-Lott is going to land on the PUP/Reserve list to start the new year.
Offensive Linemen (9): Josh Simmons, Trey Smith, Creed Humphrey, Kingsley Suamataia, Jaylon Moore, Kahlil Benson, Hunter Nourzad, Joshua Edeuzu, Esa Pole
Most difficult cut: Mike Caliendo
A tackle-heavy group, but the Chiefs have tackle-heavy concerns. Until Josh Simmons proves the back injury is as minor as Andy Reid has insisted, the Chiefs can't afford to let someone like Pole go. That means guys like Caliendo are cut loose, but it's possible he slides onto the practice squad along with someone like Pete Nygra or CJ Hanson.
Tight Ends (4): Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, Jake Briningstool
Most difficult cut: Tre Watson
This position could be shaken up a bit, since this active roster is redundant in terms of skill sets. Tre Watson's the best blocker, but he's not strong enough there to warrant an active roster spot and he's likely to stick on the practice squad. Look for a potential outside move here to shore up the blocking.
Wide Receivers (6): Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Tyquan Thornton, Cyrus Allen, Jalen Royals, Andrew Armstrong
Most difficult cut: Nikko Remigio
We'll see how much influence Dave Toub has on roster moves. Nikko Remigio is the biggest name left out of this group, but his utility is only as a returner, and even then, he's not that dynamic. It makes more sense to go with these six players given Armstrong's strong showing and let others handle return duties with Remigio on the practice squad.
Running Backs (4): Kenneth Walker, Emari Demercado, Emmett Johnson, Brashard Smith
Most difficult cut: Jaydn Ott
A remade room looks a lot stronger in '26 than previous seasons. It's within the realm of possibility that the Chiefs go with three guys here, but the skill sets are diverse enough and the ground game emphasis should be strong enough to keep all four around. With Remigio off of this iteration, Brashard Smith makes even more sense.
Quarterbacks (3): Patrick Mahomes, Justin Fields, Garrett Nussmeier
Most difficult cut: Chris Oladokun
Three quarterbacks? You'd better believe it. Unless Justin Fields is somehow traded away, the Chiefs will roll with three QBs since Nussmeier has done nothing but earn praise for his grit in the pocket. It's a bit irresponsible to go with a rookie behind Mahomes at this juncture as QB2, so Fields is safe in that role.
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