KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City came up short in its quest for the NFL's first Super Bowl three-peat, but the beat goes on for the Chiefs.
Only a championship will do for Andy Reid and company, who have won the AFC West and, at the very least, played into overtime of the AFC Championship Game in each of Patrick Mahomes' previous seven seasons as a starter.
For the second straight season and third time since 2022, I am projecting the Chiefs’ roster to skew slightly heavy on offense when the initial 53-man is revealed Tuesday.
Teams until 3 p.m. Central time on Aug. 26 to trim preseason rosters from a maximum of 90 players and here’s how it may shake out with the caveat that Kansas City almost certainly will scour the waiver wire and made trade inquiries at several positions, including running back and defensive line:
QUARTERBACKS (2)
Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew
Practice squad candidate: Chris Oladokun
Released: Bailey Zappe
Analysis: Three of the last four years, the Chiefs’ initial 53-man roster only included two quarterbacks and with depth needed at other positions it makes sense to operate that way once again. Oladokun has outplayed Zappe to stick around as the third/emergency quarterback.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, Carson Steele
Practice squad candidates: Elijah Mitchell
Released: Michael Wiley
Analysis: This is a tough position to forecast, because it’s one the Chiefs will probably try to upgrade. For now, I’m projecting four running backs, but don’t be shocked if Kansas City scours the waiver wire or trades for a running back in the coming days.
Pacheco is the clear No. 1 back and looks healthy, but he’s missed time each of the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Hunt is no longer a workhorse and has struggled with injuries in the preseason. Both seem safe, absent better options.
Smith was the Chiefs’ seventh-round dart throw to upgrade the position, which is why I’m putting him on the roster over Mitchell. Reid could prefer a veteran for the third-down role, but Smith probably is seen as having more long-term upside.
Ultimately, I went with Steele over Mitchell because he played nearly one-third of Kansas City’s special teams snaps last season, but I think he is the odd man out if reinforcements arrive from outside the current roster — and would be a practice-squad candidate in that case.
WIDE RECEIVERS (7)
Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Royals, Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio
Practice squad candidates: Jason Brownlee, Jimmy Holiday, Key’Shawn Smith
Released: Mac Delana, Elijah Badger, Hal Pressley
Analysis: The Chiefs have kept seven receivers each of the last two seasons — and it’s a good bet again with a suspension coming at some point for Rice. The Skyy Moore trade simplified the conversation around the back end, which seems to come down to Remigio or Brownlee. Frankly, it probably did even with Moore still around.
Remigio’s special-teams value gives him the edge. Dave Toub loves him and he showed he can make plays within the offense as well, so the Chiefs will be hoping Brownlee clears waivers and opts to stick around on the practice squad as insurance.
TIGHT ENDS (4)
Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Robert Tonyan, Jared Wiley
Practice squad candidates: Jake Briningstool
Released: Geor’Quarius Spivey, Tre Watson
Analysis: Kelce, Gray and Tonyan feel like locks to make the roster. Wiley could be a trade candidate for a desperate, tight end-needy team or to make the practice squad, if the Chiefs decide four tight ends is too many for the initial roster.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
Mike Caliendo, Creed Humphrey, Jaylon Moore, Wanya Morris, Hunter Nourzad, Josh Simmons, Trey Smith, Kingsley Suamataia, Jawaan Taylor
Reserve/Non-Football Injury: Ethan Driskell
Practice squad candidates: CJ Hanson, Chukwuebuka Godrick, Esa Pole
Released: Dalton Cooper, Joey Lombard
Analysis: Simmons, Suamataia, Humphrey, Smith and Taylor are your starting offensive line. Nourzad is Humphrey’s understudy, so he’s safe, while Caliendo provides depth at guard and both Moore and Morris could fill in anywhere but center.
If the Chiefs keep 10 offensive linemen, I’d give Hanson the nod over Pole.
I suspect Driskell will be a candidate for the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list after undergoing an appendectomy. The timeline for his return to health is murky, but that would be an easy way to stash him without eating up a roster spot.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES (4)
Chris Jones, Mike Pennel, Omarr Norman-Lott, Jerry Tillery
Practice squad candidates: Marlon Tuipulotu, Fabien Lovett Sr.
Released: Coziah Izzard
Analysis: Man, the Chiefs get real thin real fast if Jones, one of the best interior pass rushers in the NFL, or Pennel, the only proven run-stuffer on the roster, get hurt. Norman-Lott is a rookie with precious few reps under his belt in college, while Tillery is merely a rotational body.Kansas City will pick over the waiver wire to see if there’s an upgrade out there, but quality defensive line seldom get passed over by enough teams to come into play for the Chiefs.
DEFENSIVE ENDS (5)
George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Charles Omenihu, Ashton Gillotte, Malik Herring
Injured Reserve: Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Reserve/Non-Football Injury: BJ Thompson
Practice squad candidates: Nate Matlack
Released: Owen Carney Jr.
Analysis: There’s plenty of experience and energy with Karlaftis and Danna as well as Omenihu. Gillotte is raw, but he’s shown some promise. Finally, Herring makes the roster, because, well, somebody has to and he’s the next best of the bunch. But again, Kansas City will carefully weigh all options in the trade and waiver markets before heading to Brazil for the season opener.
LINEBACKERS (5)
Drue Tranquill, Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal, Cam Jones, Jeffrey Bassa
Injured reserve: Jack Cochrane
Practice squad candidates: Cole Christiansen, Cooper McDonald
Released: Brandon George
Analysis: If there’s a 53-man roster surprise — and there always is — McDonald could be it. With Cochrane battling a knee injury, he could wind up being placed on injured reserve at the roster cutdown with a designation to return. It would give the Chiefs maximum roster flexibility, while also keeping Cochrane from missing the entire season.
Bolton, Tranquill, Chenal, Jones and Bassa all seem safe along with Cochrane in some capacity.
CORNERBACKS (6)
Trent McDuffie, Kristian Fulton, Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson, Nohl Williams, Christian Roland-Wallace
Practice squad candidates: Melvin Smith Jr., Joshua Williams
Released: Kevin Knowles, Ajani Carter
Analysis: The reps Fulton got against Chicago were critical. He made five tackles and knocked the rust off after missing most of camp recovering from knee surgery. Along with McDuffie and Watson, the Chiefs have a rock-solid starting group with decent depth in Williams, Roland-Wallace and Johnson.
The odd man out is Williams, who has flashed promise but lacked consistency in three NFL seasons. The Chiefs would love to keep him around on the practice squad, but another team may covet his experience, including an average of six passes defended per season.
SAFETIES (4)
Chamarri Conner, Bryan Cook, Jaden Hicks, Mike Edwards
Injured reserve: Deon Bush
Practice squad candidates: Major Williams, Glendon Miller
Released: Jacobe Covington
Analysis: Bush’s season-ending ruptured Achilles made this position an easy one to forecast. Spags will covet Edwards’ veteran presence and experience in the defense to provide important back-end depth.
SPECIALISTS (3)
Harrison Butker, Matt Araiza, James Winchester
Analysis: None is really needed. No players were brought to camp to challenge these three incumbents.
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