Chiefs official 53-man roster leaves out shocking veterans to start the season

The Chiefs 53-man roster turned out quite differently at a few positions than anyone expected.

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially pared down the offseason roster of 90 players into a version that fits the regular-season mold at 53. That's a lot of positional sorting and salary cap considerations, all of which is made difficult by the fact that each decision affects someone's life—for better or worse.

This year, the Chiefs made some surprise choices. Eight receivers. Some surprising veterans are missing. We'll get to it, but it's important to acknowledge that those players who made the roster fought hard for those spots. Hopefully, the team's belief in them will be rewarded as the season unfolds.

Things can change, of course, as Brett Veach continues to tinker with the roster, but here's the current 53-man roster and the key decisions made by the Chiefs at each spot.

Quarterback

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Gardner Minshew

As expected. The Chiefs will almost certainly bring back Chris Oladokun to the practice squad but go forward with two quarterbacks on the active roster.

Running back

1. Isiah Pacheco
2. Kareem Hunt
3. Elijah Mitchell
4. Brashard Smith

Opinions are mixed about what the Chiefs have here, but this group in particular on a Tuesday doesn't have to be the depth chart going into Week 1 or at least within a few weeks. Remember Hunt was signed last year after the regular season began.

Wide Receiver

1. Rashee Rice
2. Hollywood Brown
3. Xavier Worthy
4. Jalen Royals
5. Tyquan Thornton
6. JuJu Smith-Schuster
7. Nikko Remigio
8. Jason Brownlee

Some positions feature an abundance of riches, and while it's hyperbole to call Tyquan Thornton or Nikko Remigio "riches", the truth is that this unit was deep with proven production and exciting upside. Still, to see eight receivers is an eye-popping number.

Tight end

1. Travis Kelce
2. Noah Gray
3. Jared Wiley

Robert Tonyan's absence from this list is rather surprising, but the Chiefs' choice to keep 8 receivers did the trick. This will be a major talking point going forward.

Offensive line

1. Josh Simmons
2. Kingsley Suamataia
3. Creed Humphrey
4. Trey Smith
5. Jawaan Taylor
6. Jaylon Moore
7. Hunter Nourzad
8. Wanya Morris
9. Mike Caliendo

Interesting discussions were had all around regarding the Chiefs' o-line this preseason, with considerations of several players potentially on the bubble. It was hard to identify interior players who stepped up behind the starting trio, and Wanya Morris potentially looked like he could be traded. However, xxxxx

Defensive line

1. Chris Jones
2. George Karlaftis
3. Mike Danna
4. Charles Omenihu
5. Ashton Gillotte
6. Omarr Norman-Lott
7. Derrick Nnadi
8. Jerry Tillery
9. Malik Herring

The return of Derrick Nnadi via trade makes more sense if they didn't plan on keeping Mike Pennel, but that's quite a shock nonetheless. Malik Herring also slips onto the roster once again, quite a feat for a player who entered the league as a rookie free agent in 2021 with the team.

Linebackers

1. Nick Bolton
2. Leo Chenal
3. Drue Tranquill
4. Jack Cochrane
5. Jeffrey Bassa
6. Cooper McDonald

The decision to keep Cooper McDonald is great to see for his sake, but keeping six linebackers changes the game elsewhere. That said, McDonald was a preseason stud who would have made Brett Veach sad to see succeed with another franchise.

Defensive backs

1. Trent McDuffie
2. Kristian Fulton
3. Jaylen Watson
4. Joshua Williams
5. Nohl Williams
6. Christian Roland-Wallace
7. Bryan Cook
8. Chamarri Conner
9. Jaden Hicks

For all of the banter around Joshua Williams this preseason, it turns out he's going to stay right where he's been all along. The Chiefs are also leaning on versatility to fill backup safety slots, since Deon Bush was injured and Mike Edwards was released.

Specialists

1. Matt Araiza, punter
2. Harrison Butker, kicker
3. James Winchester, long snapper

No surprises here.