As the NFL calendar creeps closer to the start of training camp, it makes sense to take stock of the team's offseason 90-man roster to see which players might be in greater need than others of a strong showing in front of coaches and staff members from the outset. After all, more than 30 players will be cut before the regular season begins and that makes the competition tough even for popular players with strong cases to make the team.
For a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, it's even tougher to make roster calls knowing how deep and talented the roster can be at various positions. Here's our best attempt to sift through a few players whose stock is falling as the team heads toward training camp in July.
Isaiah Buggs, TE
Update: Buggs was released already on Monday.
This is the most obvious entry of all here, and it's only a matter of time until Buggs is released—or, if not, most of Chiefs Kingdom will be shocked.
The best way to find yourself off of an NFL roster is to get in trouble off of the field and Buggs has been in trouble with the law on two separate occasions this spring alone—brought up on animal cruelty charges as well as a recent domestic violence arrest.
Yes, a person is innocent until proven guilty, but most fringe roster players aren't even given a chance to state their case. The difference between one player and another at that level typically isn't worth the public relations concerns, so unless Joe Cullen and Steve Spagnuolo have some specific excitement about Buggs' potential after failing to catch on with three other NFL franchises, we can expect Buggs to hit free agency sometime soon.
Irv Smith, TE
Speaking of tight ends, we might as well stick around the same roster spot and bring up one of this year's free agent signings in Irv Smith.
It's quite possible the Chiefs carry four tight ends, and if so, then Smith might be able to hang onto a roster spot. However, he's going to have to make his case plain in training camp because the Chiefs already have three players guaranteed a roster spot going forward in Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Jared Wiley.
Smith was signed before the NFL Draft, so there was no way of knowing at the time what the competition might be like. And even then, Smith might have been able to beat out a rookie on another team, but Wiley was the buzz of minicamp in recent weeks and looks the part as a significant future contributor. Given that Gray is in his contract year and that Kelce is in his mid-thirties, Wiley's arrival is just what many fans hoped to see on offense.
That does, however, spell the potential end for Smith before it even officially began—unless he can convince the Chiefs to carry four TEs like they did back when they were high on Jody Fortson to go with Blake Bell and company.
Deneric Prince, RB
Take this one with a grain of salt, because the Chiefs backfield is in such shape that any young player should still feel quite confident that he can make an impact if given the chance—and training camp wil give him just that. For now, however, we have to include Prince on our list of Chiefs with falling stocks because the hype is missing here compared to other competitors for spots behind Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-helaire.
If you listen closely, you'll hear general manager Brett Veach speaking glowingly of Keaontay Ingram in sessions with reporters. You'll also notice Carson Steele getting good reps in OTAs and minicamp and some very real excitement around Emani Bailey. Louis Rees-Zammit has his own fan club at this point, and the whole position feels ripe for a veteran addition sometime between the present and the start of camp.
What's missing in the conversation is any real mention of Prince as a favored choice to make the active roster despite having the experience and the opening in front of him. That narrative can easily change, as we mentioned, but for now, Prince's lack of momentum is not a good thing.
Cole Christiansen, LB
If the previous entry should be taken lightly, the mention of Cole Christiansen feels like the opposite. That's because he's already been a sort of revolving door for the Chiefs.
Christiansen is a solid special teams player who has been a nice story as an undrafted linebacker prospect out of Army who has latched onto the Chargers and now the Chiefs for two seasons apiece. However, the depth and talent of the Chiefs' roster is likely pushing him southward as they take a closer look at this year's rookie free agents like Curtis Jacobs.
The Chiefs will certainly keep Christiansen's name on speed dial because his usefulness to Dave Toub will come in handy at a moment's notice. That said there are greater upside plays here and the team's willingness to let some other franchise have a shot at Christiansen shows where they value his potential