If I Was Brett Veach: 53-Man Roster
I put on the hat of the general manager for one day, and build the roster for this season. This isn't a projection, I repeat this isn't a projection
QB (2): Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne
There isn’t much controversy here. Kansas City is only going to keep two quarterbacks (as they should). There’s no real candidate to steal Henne’s spot on the roster.
I will say I did like Shane Buechele’s performance in the preseason. He’s got a live arm, some mobility, and overall I just thought he played well. I would keep him on the practice squad. He’s not good enough to ever take the backup spot, but I like him as a 3rd QB on the roster.
RB (4): Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, Darrel Williams, Michael Burton
CEH was a given, but the last three running back spots were more in the air before the season. Darrel Williams was almost surely a lock with his pass protection and experience, but the 3rd spot was a battle between Jerick McKinnon and Darwin Thompson. McKinnon was brought in on a one-year deal with no roster assurances. He hadn’t proven the ability to stay healthy over the previous seasons, especially with multiple major knee surgeries. McKinnon needed to prove he could still run well, play special teams, and stay healthy.
McKinnon passed all three of those marks convincingly. McKinnon’s looked explosive this preseason, providing a gear no other running back on this roster has. He’s proven he can play on special teams, including flying down the field for a great open-field tackle against the 49ers. So far, he’s been completely healthy, not missing any significant time.
McKinnon is just way better to this point than Darwin Thompson. Darwin has brought special team value to the Chiefs but is way too big of an offensive liability. The little details in his game (pass pro, drops, routes) are lacking for him to be trusted. He may be better on special teams than McKinnon, but he’s drastically worse on offense. Yes, he has another year of club control, but that doesn’t matter when you have three years left on Clyde’s deal. This should be the end of the Darwin era in Kansas City.
About Michael Burton, I’ve been impressed. I need to go back and watch more of his blocking reps, but his receiving ability looks competent for a fullback. He’s certainly more athletic than Anthony Sherman those last few years. Andy Reid and Dave Toub love keeping a fullback, and Burton looks like a decent fullback. I would bet they keep him.
WR (6): Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, Byron Pringle, Marcus Kemp, Cornell Powell
To me, seven receivers could make the roster. The top four (Hill, Hardman, Drob, Pringle) are definitive locks to this point. There was some weird “could the Chiefs cut Drob” energy sometime last week, but to me, that’s silly. Drob has his flaws. I don’t need to point them out to you. Still, he’s a positionally versatile WR with six years of experience in an Andy Reid offense. That matters. He does dumb stuff, but it’s incredibly short-sighted to put a practice squad-level receiver in his place. Drob’s better than that.
Marcus Kemp locked up a spot on this roster for me this preseason. The contested catch ability has been there for him before, and he’s an excellent special teams player. This staff loves him, and he’s got experience in this system. I’m never going to trust Kemp to beat NFL cornerbacks consistently, but given the lack of depth at WR this year, Kemp has to make it.
Let’s talk WR6. Kansas City could keep five like they did last year, but I would keep six. Should it be fifth-round rookie Cornell Powell or preseason standout Daurice Fountain?
This is an interesting discussion. To start, Fountain has been way more impressive this preseason. Fountain’s made multiple contested catches down the sideline and flashed impressive ball skills. Fountain has legitimate athleticism downfield. Compare that to Powell’s preseason, and it’s clear who is the better player right now. Powell didn’t flash much of anything. His routes weren’t very sharp, and he seemed to be moving a step slower than he was in college. He never was a great athlete, but he wasn’t moving super well against 3rd-stringers.
So, why keep Powell? Here’s the thing with preseason receivers; guys who dominate with contested catches always flash. There are multiple guys from every roster every year that dominate training camp/preseason with their ability to track the ball. But when it gets into the season, those guys don’t have as much success. This current NFL is built on short-area separation and winning over the middle of the field. Very few teams like to designate a large chunk of their playbook/roster to guys who can only win contested catches, like Fountain. If we’re already keeping Kemp, why do we need Fountain as well?
Powell wasn’t good this preseason. But his college skillset flashed way more of an all-around receiver than Fountain. He was excellent on special teams at Clemson. He was able to run routes over the middle and short areas of the field. He’s nowhere as good with contested catches, but he checks more boxes than Fountain. This isn’t even mentioning how he still has four years of club control left.
If Powell is cut and Fountain makes this roster, I won’t be upset. He would’ve earned it. But if you put me in charge of Kansas City, I still see more out of Powell’s game long-term than Fountain. I’m guessing Fountain would make the practice squad, however. Let them compete again next year.
TE (3): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray
I already see it coming.
“HOW DID JODY FORTSON NOT MAKE THE TEAM AGAIN. "
Okay, so let me explain.
Jody Fortson is better this year than last year. His campaign for him to make the team was absurd last year. He’s way too slow to play out wide at wide receiver. Fortson recognized that, and what did he do? He transitioned to tight end! Fortson added extra weight and learned how to block better. Fortson managed both of those things well, and he deserves a ton of credit for that.
But what does Fortson give this team? I don’t like the idea of having four tight ends on the roster. Kansas City did that all season last year, for no reason. Ricky Seals-Jones was inactive every single game day and provided Kansas City with nothing. If Fortson makes the team, he would have the same role.
So let’s compare him to Blake Bell and Noah Gray. Fortson improved as a blocker, but it was all against backups and 3rd-stringers. Bell has proven to be a competent blocker at the NFL level for multiple seasons now. Fortson hasn’t. Bell’s also the better pass protector, and it’s not particularly close.
So, let’s talk Gray vs. Fortson. Gray’s spot is saved regardless, but could he beat out Gray to be active on game day and the Chiefs keep four? I wouldn’t. Gray didn’t have a great preseason. His routes weren’t particularly great, he had some drops, and the timing was off. Still, Reid trusted him way more. He played Gray in the 1st-half in every game, unlike Fortson. Gray was lined up everywhere, unlike Fortson. Yes, Fortson’s a better blocker, but Gray is a significantly more talented receiver. Reid agrees with that; that’s why Gray was lined up everywhere.
Gray is way more fluid of a mover than Fortson and much more explosive. Fortson isn’t going to be a good receiver in the NFL. He’s stiff with his routes and not overly explosive. Yes, his insane wingspan helps with contested catches, but he can’t beat most NFL linebackers. Gray could develop into that.
So, what’s the point of keeping Fortson? He’s not going to be active most game days. He’ll sit on the bench and not provide Kansas City much. I’m guessing he would easily make the practice squad. But I have a hard time justifying his roster spot over another offensive linemen or a defensive back. I hope Fortson proves me wrong, but I don’t see it.
OL (10, L to R): Starters: Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Lucas Niang. Backups: Prince Tega-Wanogho, Nick Allegretti, Austin Blythe, Andrew Wylie, Mike Remmers
The offensive line is tough to build out currently because Kansas City has both Laurent-Duvernay-Tardif and Kyle Long not practicing. I won’t act like I’m an expert with PUP rules, but I believe both can go on the PUP list, which would make sense. Give both ample time to get back to full strength and see if an injury happens. It makes no sense to IR them for three weeks, especially with the depth of the Chiefs. Keep them out for six weeks, then reevaluate.
Once you eliminate those two factors, the rest of the room is much easier to fill out. I wanted to keep Yasir Durant so badly, but I couldn’t find the spot for him. I doubt he could make the practice squad because he’s played NFL snaps in multiple spots, but he was also undrafted one year ago. I would hope he gets there.
The top nine are pretty self-explanatory, but the one guy that may surprise people is Prince Tega-Wanogho. If I were running this team, I wouldn’t hesitate to give him a roster spot. I like what I’ve seen from Prince this preseason. The athleticism is very evident. His range in pass protection is significantly larger than any other tackle on this roster. The athleticism and talent have always been there, and it’s been an issue with health for the most part. But given his play in the preseason, I would keep him as a developmental tackle. If Prince stays healthy, Kansas City could finally have a swing tackle on the cheap for years who’s talented. He’s proven enough for me.
DE (5): Frank Clark, Mike Danna, Joshua Kaindoh, Alex Okafor, Tim Ward
Note: Chris Jones will be on the DT list, but he’s also a DE
Not much intrigue at defensive end. With Taco Charlton getting cut a week ago, there’s not really anyone else I would put on my roster. I guess Demone Harris is worth considering, but I don’t see it with him. He’s added some extra weight since the 2019 season, but it zapped any flexibility or explosiveness with him. Tim Ward is a significantly better player, and I see more out of him long-term than Demone.
DT (5): Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton, Khalen Saunders
Again, not much intrigue here. I just want to say two things about defensive tackles.
I was wrong about Khalen Saunders
This might be the deepest IDL rotation in the NFL
With point 1, I didn’t think Khalen Saunders was going to make the roster in March. After the Jarran Reed signing, I felt that was the end of Saunders. But with Chris Jones playing more defensive end, it opened an opportunity for him to step into that 4th DT role. And through the preseason, he’s done that well. The explosiveness and rotational athleticism look great, and he seems to be playing faster this year as well. Congrats to him, and I hope he keeps proving me wrong.
As it pertains to point 2, this IDL is insanely deep. Kansas City has five legitimate NFL defensive tackles and four high-quality ones if Wharton improves. Jones is a top-3 DT, Reed is a high-quality DT, Nnadi is a great nose, and Wharton’s a fantastic rotational pass rusher. If we get an improved Saunders, we went from three good defensive tackles to five. Most teams have two or three. This group is awesome, and I’m excited to watch them.
LB (5): Anthony Hitchens, Willie Gay Jr., Ben Niemann, Nick Bolton, Omari Cobb
Not much intrigue here. Dorian O’Daniel is bad and barely playing. Spags doesn’t like him.
CB (6): Charvarius Ward, L’Jarius Sneed, Mike Hughes, Deandre Baker, Reshad Fenton, BoPete Keyes
The first five cornerbacks on this list are locks to this point. Deandre Baker proved himself to be an NFL cornerback this offseason, even after an injury.
The interesting battle comes between Dicaprio Bootle and Bopete Keyes. I could make an argument for both. Bootle could play in the slot if needed and rotate back as a 2-high safety in some of Kansas City’s Tampa Buzz looks. It would make sense if he made the roster, and I wouldn’t be upset about it.
The reason why I would probably go with Keyes is that I like his skill set more. Keyes has the length/speed combination I want in a boundary cornerback. He’s long, has pop in the hands, and the fluidity to flip and run. Besides Charvarius Ward (and L’Jarius Sneed, mainly a slot guy), the Chiefs don’t have an abundance of that skill set. If Ward went down, Mike Hughes and Deandre Baker aren’t the best fits there. Both have played on the boundary in the preseason but don’t have ideal size/speed combinations.
I also do feel it would be easier for Bootle to make the practice squad than Keyes. Kansas City felt the need to trade back into the draft for Keyes, knowing there would be a lot of interest. Bootle went undrafted. But again, if Bootle made it and Keyes didn’t, it wouldn’t bother me. I’m willing to hear both sides.
Safeties (4): Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, Daniel Sorensen, Armani Watts
Earlier this offseason, there did seem to be a battle between Armani Watts and Devon Key. Key impressed the staff, getting plenty of work with the 1’s in camp. But through three preseason games, I wasn’t impressed with Key. He has size, but he’s not fast. The transitions aren’t great, and he doesn’t have the ideal click and close for the NFL. I don’t see him succeeding on an NFL field as a safety.
While I’ve never liked Armani Watts, he did have another good preseason. The ball skills are still there, and he is an excellent special teams player. He didn’t do anything to lose his job this offseason, and nobody took it from him.
Specialists (3): Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, James Winchester
I did enjoy the snake trap on the Franchise.