4 Chiefs Players With Most to Prove Saturday at Arizona

Other than his versatility and special-teams ability, Steele is also the biggest back in camp (6-0, 228). Here are three other players with plenty on the line prior to the final cutdown date, Aug. 26.

Jerry Tillery

• A 6-6, 295-pound defensive tackle, Tillery signed a one-year, $1.79 million deal, with $1.17 million guaranteed. So, the Chiefs need to keep that in mind should when considering the 29-year-old veteran’s future.

• Signed to provide experienced depth behind All-Pro Chris Jones, Tillery needs to hold off a pair of younger defensive tackles, Fabien Lovett and Marlon Tuipulotu. The Chargers’ first-round selection (28th overall) in the 2019 draft, Tillery stayed in the AFC West and spent one-and-a-half seasons with the Raiders. He joined the Chiefs from Minnesota, where he played all 17 games last year, with 11 starts and zero sacks.

Fabien Lovett

• A 6-3, 316-pound defensive tackle from Florida State, Lovett played in the Seminoles’ defensive front with Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Lovett signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2024, was waived in the final roster reduction and spent the year on the Kansas City practice squad.

• He figures to get a lot of snaps in preseason and could beat out Tillery for a coveted role in the defensive-line rotation behind Jones and Mike Pennel.

Chris Roland-Wallace

• Like Steele and Lovett, Roland-Wallace signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent last year. He made the team out of camp and played 17 games as a versatile defensive back, including the Super Bowl rematch at San Francisco in Week 7. Roland-Wallace picked off Brock Purdy with Kansas City protecting a 14-12 lead in the third quarter, setting up a touchdown drive that all but put the game out of reach.

• Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Roland-Wallace can settle into a cornerback role now, potentially a slot corner, similar to Chamarri Conner’s role in the past.  

• “I think we had him at safety out of need last year,” Spagnuolo said Wednesday, “and found out he could do those things. And then, eventually, he evolved, becoming a nickel … He's made a lot of plays. We look for production in our guys.

• “I’d like to see him against another team, obviously. So, look forward to see what he does against Arizona.”

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