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KC Chiefs roster battles to watch vs Saints in preseason opener

The Chiefs play the Saints in the preseason opener on Sunday. Here are some key roster battles to watch.

By Lyle Graversen

Jul 28, 2023; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kekoa Crawford (89) runs the
Jul 28, 2023; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kekoa Crawford (89) runs the / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
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DB - Deon Bush (26) vs Nic Jones (31) vs Ekow Boye-Doe (12)

I've got eight defensive backs as a lock to make the Chiefs final roster (L'Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, Mike Edwards, and Chamarri Conner). I think that leaves two spots up for grabs. Early in training camp Nazeeh Johnson looked like a lock to take one of them, but his injury has opened up the race a little.

Deon Bush is a veteran safety who was with KC last season and while he only got in on defense on a few occasions, he was second on the team in special teams snaps. That means if one of these other two guys wants to kick Bush off the final roster they are definitely going to have to be a factor on special teams.

Nic Jones was a 7th round pick out of Ball State. While his camp thus far has been a little up and down, he has flashed on numerous occasions and he has certainly given himslef a chance to make this roster thus far. Like the linebackers, you'll have a chance to watch these defensive backs on special teams throughout the entire game and they'll get some playing time on defense in the second half, so keep your eyes peeled for 12, 26, and 31 (especially if any of them are getting early special teams reps).

Going into camp I had Ekow Boye-Doe, the undrafted rookie out of K-State as someone that was just a camp body. Thus far, he is proving me wrong. Boye-Doe has given himsel f a real chance to fight his way onto this roster with his play both on defense and special teams. With some injuries in the secondary, the Chiefs have even given Boye-Doe a few looks with the first-team defense. Then when you add in Dave Toub signalling him out as someone who is doing a nice job I think the result is that he has officially jumped over guys like Dicaprio Bootle and is now fighting to earn a spot on the back end. At the very least, I think he has a chance to stick on the practice squad.

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Those are my roster battles for you to keep an eye on once the star players are out of the game on Sunday. Is there anyone you think I missed? Are there any of these battles that intrigue you more than others? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below.