KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In just two weeks the Chiefs’ rookies and quarterbacks will step on the practice fields at Missouri Western State University to open training camp. That’s when the work begins in earnest on whittling down a roster of 90 players to the 53 who will make the initial squad on Aug. 29.
Yet the structure of the 2023 roster for head coach Andy Reid started to take shape during the team’s offseason program, organized team activities and a three-day mandatory minicamp.
Here’s my breakdown of the Chiefs’ current roster, the projection for who is in line to make the 53-player squad and what names to watch during training camp starting later this month.
Quarterbacks (3)
Starter: Patrick Mahomes
Backups: Blaine Gabbert and Shane Buechele
Players to watch: Chris Oladokun
The two-quarterback era may be coming to a close, especially with the rule modification this offseason making it easier to carry a third emergency quarterback on game day. The Chiefs carried three quarterbacks all of last season, and the addition of Gabbert shouldn’t change that. Buechele still offers a lot of upside but so does Oladokun. He’s another strong-armed passer with plenty of athleticism and impressed last year on the scout team mimicking some of the league’s most nimble quarterbacks.
Running Backs (4)
Starters: Isiah Pacheco
Backups: Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Deneric Prince
Players to watch: La’Michal Perine
In the mix: Jerrion Ealy
Nothing is set in stone in June but the offseason program showed a clear delineation of the depth chart in the team’s running back room. Pacheco didn’t practice after as he recovers from shoulder and hand surgeries and the 31-year-old McKinnon rested during the offseason program. That provided plenty of work for Edwards-Helaire to reestablish himself and an opportunity for Prince to prove his worth. Perine averaged 3.7 yards per carry in parts of two seasons with the Jets after they selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Ealy is back in the running back room after an experiment at receiver last season. He’s undersized at 5-foot-8, 189 pounds, but the Chiefs have found ways to utilize small, speed backs such as McKinnon.
Wide Receivers (6)
Starters: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Sky Moore
Backups: Rashee Rice, Richie James and Justin Watson
Players to watch: John Ross and Justyn Ross
In the mix: Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Cornell Powell, Nikko Remigio, Ty Fryfogle and Kekoa Crawford
It’s easy to see as many as nine different receivers in position to build compelling cases for making the Chiefs roster, and there’s no reason to rule out the others yet. Valdes-Scantling, Moore and Rice are certain locks to make the roster if healthy. Watson has a guaranteed contract that makes it $130,000 more expensive to cut him than release him. Rice is this year’s second-round selection. Do the Chiefs have room for a sixth receiver? If so, James has the best resume at this moment after catching 57 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns with Daniel Jones and the Giants last year.
John Ross and Justyn Ross are one-of-a-kind athletes with the former possessing world-class speed (4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and the latter sporting great size(6-foot-4) with a wide catch radius. Smith-Marsette could also build a case if he can win the punt return job, although James should enter training camp as the favorite there.
Why isn’t either Ross on my projected 53-player roster given the hype? John Ross sat out last season recovering from a knee injury suffered in 2021, and he’s four years removed from his only 500-yard NFL season in 2019. Meanwhile, Justyn Ross has yet to put on pads in an NFL practice and played his last college game on Nov. 13, 2021. The injury histories for both players mean they have more to prove in training camp but both have excellent chances of making the squad if healthy.
Tight Ends (4)
Starter: Travis Kelce
Backups: Noah Gray, Jody Fortson and Blake Bell
Players to watch: Matt Bushman
In the mix: Kendall Blanton
The absence of a true fullback on the Chiefs’ roster makes a case for a fourth tight end more likely, even if only three are active on game days. A core muscle injury limited Bell to just three regular-season games last season and an appendectomy kept him out of much of the team’s offseason program. Bushman delivered a breakout performance in the team’s third preseason game last year, hauling in three catches for 74 yards and two scores before a collarbone injury forced him to injured reserve. Blanton, the former Missouri Tigers star and Blue Springs product, has 16 NFL regular-season games under his belt and a Super Bowl ring of his own.
Offensive Line (9)
Starters: LT Donovan Smith, LG Joe Thuney, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith and RT Jawaan Taylor
Backups: G/C Nick Allegretti, OT Lucas Niang, OT Wanya Morris and G/T Darian Kinnard
Players to watch: G/C Mike Caliendo
In the mix: OT Prince Tega Wanogho, C Austin Reiter, G Jerome Carvin, G/T Sebastian Gutierrez, C Anderson Hardy and T/G Chukwuebuka (Jason) Godrick
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chiefs kept as many as 10 offensive linemen. That decision will likely depend upon the development of Morris as a backup lineman in his rookie season. The Chiefs don’t like to tinker with moving linemen in the event of injury but Taylor is the expectec backup at left tackle if something happens to Smith. If the Chiefs feel Morris needs more seasoning, it improves the odds the club keeps both Niang and Wanogho. Kinnard worked mostly at guard during his rookie season but he can’t be ruled out at tackle quite yet. The unexpected return of Allegretti gives the Chiefs a reliable sixth man in the interior who can start at all three positions if needed. Caliendo had a solid season on the practice squad last season and could be a sleeper for a roster bid. Godrick came to the Chiefs through the NFL International Pathway Program, and he’s eligible for a practice squad exemption this season.
Defensive Line (9)
Starters: DE George Karlaftis, DT Chris Jones DT Derrick Nnadi and DE Charles Omenihu
Backups: DE Mike Danna, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DT Tershawn Wharton, DT Keondre Coburn and DE Malik Herring
Players to watch: DE BJ Thompson and DE Truman Jones
In the mix: DE Joshua Kaindoh, DT Danny Shelton, DE Daniel Wise, DT Phil Hoskins, DT Matt Dickerson and DT Chris Williams
Youth and health should play a significant role in shaping the defensive line room to start the season. The Chiefs drafted three defensive linemen (Anudike-Uzomah, Coburn and Thompson) in this year’s draft and also have Wharton returning from an ACL tear. The final spots on both the edge and the interior should have stiff competition. Herring and Kaindoh are likely battling for a single roster spot. Thompson is the easiest rookie to see landing on the practice squad because he’s a bit undersized but he appears to be an early favorite of defensive line coach Joe Cullen.
Linebackers (5)
Starters: WLB Willie Gay, MLB Nick Bolton and SLB Leo Chenal
Backups: Drue Tranquil and Jack Cochrane
Players to watch: Cam Jones and Isaiah Moore
In the mix: Cole Christiansen
It’s possible the Chiefs keep a 10th defensive lineman over a fifth linebacker but no doubt this group possesses more depth than in recent seasons. Tranquill is a natural weakside and middle linebacker who can back up both Gay and Bolton but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in passing situations where he can cover a tight end as well as rush the passer. He tallied 146 combined tackles for the Chargers last season. Cochrane played a core special teams role last season as an undrafted free agent from South Dakota but he expects to face competition from a pair of undrafted 2023 rookies in Jones (Indiana) and Moore (North Carolina State).
Cornerbacks (5)
Starters: L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie
Backups: Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson
Players to watch: Nic Jones, Ekow Boye-Doe and Kahlef Hailassie
In the mix: Dicaprio Bootle, Lamar Jackson and Reese Taylor
The days of the Chiefs scouring the free agent market into August for depth in the secondary are over with an abundance of young talented depth. The club will certainly keep at least five cornerbacks barring injury but with Johnson showing marked improvement entering year two and Jones exceeding early expectations the competition should be steep. Undrafted rookies Boye-Doe (Kansas State) and Hailassie (Western Kentucky) are both long, lean athletes the Chiefs covet at corner and are strong practice squad candidates at minimum.
Safeties (5)
Starters: Justin Reid and Bryan Cook
Backups: Mike Edwards, Deon Bush and Chamarri Conner
In the mix: Isaiah Norman and Anthony Cook
The depth decision in the defensive backfield extend to the safety position where the Chiefs have plenty of talent despite the loss of starter Juan Thornhill. The Chiefs have primed Bryan Cook to step into the starting lineup but the addition of Edwards provides insurance. He started a career-high 12 games for Tampa Bay last season with 82 total tackles. Bush returns as a core special teams player and the club will certainly find a home for the fourth-rouund selection Conner. It’s not unusual for the Chiefs to carry five safeties and 10 defensive backs but the competition in the secondary should make for some difficult decisions.
Specialists (3)
Starters: K Harrison Butker, P Tommy Townsend and LS James Winchester
There’s not so much as a hint of competition in training camp for the three veteran starters. If Butker can put last season’s ankle injury behind him and
