Chiefs’ 53-man roster projection creates tough DB decisions that fans won’t love

The long wait of the NFL's dead zone is almost over. The Kansas City Chiefs' training camp officially starts on July 22, but players will be reporting even sooner than that. So in just a few more days, all the offseason speculation can finally come to an end, and we can start (over)analyzing actual practice reports.

Before the practices kick off, I thought it would be fun to take a shot at predicting the final 53-man roster. I feel confident about 90% of these picks, and I've included some thoughts about where I struggled with my projections the most and which players were the hardest to include or cut.

Here's an early projection of the Chiefs 53-man roster as training camp gets underway.

Quarterback (2)

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Gardner Minshew

I don't see any way the Chiefs keep more than two quarterbacks on the active roster again this season, especially with lots of guys at the other offensive positions that they may want to keep. This one feels like a lock before the first snap of training camp.

Running back / Fullback (5)

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

I debated the combined number of backs, receivers, and tight ends on offense. I originally didn't plan on keeping four running backs and a fullback, but I just couldn't bring myself to cut any of them. It wouldn't shock me if they cut either Kareem Hunt or Elijah Mitchell if Brashard Smith has a great camp. I also wouldn't be shocked if Smith ends up on the practice squad if he has a pretty quiet camp and preseason (seventh-round running backs are huge long shots).

Wide Receiver (6)

1. Rashee Rice
2. Hollywood Brown
3. Xavier Worthy
4. Jalen Royals
5. JuJu Smith-Schuster
6. Nikko Remigio.

I wasn't tempted to keep Skyy Moore at all. His days are numbered. Tyquan Thornton has made a little noise but is still a long shot who would need to prove he's worth cutting a return specialist like Remigio for if he wants to make the team.

Tight end (4)

1. Travis Kelce
2. Noah Gray
3. Jared Wiley
4. Jake Briningstool

I thought about only keeping three tight ends since I had four running backs and a fullback, but the Chiefs love their multi-tight end sets, and if Jake Briningstool continues to impress like he did in OTAs, I think he has a great shot to make the team over Robert Tonyan.

Offensive Line (9)

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

The Chiefs have rostered 10 offensive linemen at times in the past, but I feel like the Chiefs' depth on the line is a little higher quality this year, so they may not need as many bodies in order to feel confident. The offense still ended up with a 26/24 roster split of the non-special teams spots because of the extra running back.

Defensive Line (10)

1. Chris Jones
2. George Karlaftis
3. Mike Danna
4. Charles Omenihu
5. Felix Anudike-Uzomah
6. Ashton Gillotte
7. Omarr Norman-Lott
8. Mike Pennel
9. Jerry Tillery
10. Fabien Lovett

On defense, they have often only carried four defensive tackles, but I think five may be a safe bet this time around. They need another run-stuffer to replace Derrick Nnadi, and I think Fabien Lovett may be that guy, with Jerry Tillery and Omarr Norman-Lott sharing the load to replace Tershawn Wharton.

Linebacker (5)

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

Five feels like the right number of linebackers given the Chiefs' frequent use of nickel and dime packages. This group of five seems like the safe bet: the 3 starters, the draft pick, and the special-teams ace.

Cornerback (5)

1. Trent McDuffie
2. Kristian Fulton
3. Jaylen Watson
4. Joshua Williams
5. Nohl Williams

Safety (4)

1. Bryan Cook
2. Jaden Hicks
3. Chamarri Conner
4. Mike Edwards

The final spot where I had a hard time making cuts was at defensive back. I feel pretty good about the nine that I have making the team, but there were several others that I strongly considered as well. Deon Bush is a good special teams player and a reliable veteran.

The coaching staff has liked Nazeeh Johnson in the past, but I'm not sure he's going to be able to make it with the depth on the roster this year. I did strongly consider Chris Roland-Wallace making the team again. I feel like they could use another slot corner.

If Kristian Fulton and rookie Nohl Williams both look good on the outside, I could even see Roland-Wallace making the team over another outside-only corner like Joshua Williams.

Specialist (3)

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

So there you have it, my pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction. I'd love to hear what you think, so please feel free to comment on where you think the roster could turn out differently.