Chiefs 53 Man Roster Projection: The Trenches

With the 2021 NFL preseason drawing to a close soon, the regular season is just around the corner. These next couple of weeks become even more crucial for coaching staffs and front offices alike. In just over a week, NFL rosters will drop from 80 to 53 players.

Who are the fringe players worth keeping on the roster? How many individuals should be available at certain positions? All of those questions will need to be answered. Other factors like game film, injuries to other players, being able to play special teams or not, or simply locker room leadership could help make the decisions somewhat easier.

Over the next week and a half, we will be going position by position to forecast our projections for who will and will not make the Kansas City Chiefs 53 man roster for 2021. We will also note which players we believe will stick around on the practice squad, if they cannot fit into the initial 53 man roster. Today we will be focusing on the Chiefs offensive line and defensive line positions.

All Eyes On Me

Let’s start with the position that everyone is focusing on this season. The current offensive linemen on Kansas City’s depth chart are as follows. This includes Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Lucas Niang, Mike Remmers, Nick Allegretti, Austin Blythe, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Andrew Wylie, Prince Tega Wanogho, Darryl Williams, Yasir Durant, Wyatt Miller and Kyle Long. Although, Long is still currently on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.

Total Revamp

After a disappointing showing in the Super Bowl, Kansas City knew they had to upgrade the offensive line. Surrounding Patrick Mahomes with the best blockers and keeping him upright is of utmost importance. We now have a pretty good idea of what the starting offensive line is going to look like. One received one of the largest deals on the free agent market for a guard in NFL history (Thuney). Another starter will now get to play the position he wants and was acquired for a first round pick (Brown Jr.). Finally, three starters will be rookies (Humphrey, Smith and Niang).

Despite Niang being drafted in 2020, he opted out last year. He is technically still a rookie, by default. There are always a lot of question marks when making these full scale changes to the blocking unit. For example, how beneficial is it to start three rookies next to each other? How will certain opposing defenses expose it? Also, how will the major investments into Brown Jr. and Thuney turn out down the line?

If anything, the Chiefs feel more physical, more dense and definitely more confident with this group. At training camp and in preseason snaps, Mahomes usually had the most room he has ever had in the pocket. He is working on trusting his blockers for longer before leaving the pocket too soon. At the same time, this starting offensive line is truly taking pride in keeping him clean. We have not collectively seen or felt that from the previous starting blockers beforehand. The communication and trust is already in a good spot for the Chiefs as a team.

Filling Out The Depth

Beyond that starting five, there are a few questions that still remain. Those questions involve current injuries and ability to perform, if called upon. There are a few ailments that the offensive line group is dealing with. All three players are either new to the team, or returning after a year away from playing football for Kansas City.

Duvernay-Tardif suffered a broken bone in his hand during the latter part of training camp. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport labeled it as a four to six week recovery time. Therefore, he could possibly be ready for Week One or just after, depending on what the Chiefs need from the backups.

Then, we have Long. The former Chicago Bears blocker retired from football and did not play last season due to injuries. He got in the best shape of his life this offseason, and caught the attention of Kansas City. Then he suffered a leg injury. While you would have liked to have seen Long get a chance to start at right guard, the way Smith has performed gives the Chiefs more stability. He has not looked back since Long went down. However, there is a big question that remains with Long’s status. Do they keep him on the PUP list entering the year? Does he get placed on injured reserve, ending his season? My projection is that the Chiefs will likely keep him on the PUP until he is ready to return.

The most recent injury involves Blythe. The free agent signing from the Rams recently underwent sports hernia surgery in between preseason games. Initially, reports suggested he would be out for at least three weeks. Does KC let him land on the 53 man roster and then place him on injured reserve? Or, will he have enough strength back to be ready as a backup? This is the more difficult of the three injuries to project anything on, because of the type of injury for an offensive lineman and due to other backups possibly outperforming him.

Certain players like Wanogho and Durant have done admirable in preseason showings. They have a solid case for making the 53 man group as depth players. Yet, injuries to Duvernay-Tardif and Blythe may allow those guys to come back early in the year. Those two will likely be wanted for the practice squad, if they cannot crack the initial roster. I have ten offensive linemen making the active roster.

FINAL OFFENSIVE LINE DEPTH CHART

Starting LT: Brown Jr.

Starting LG: Thuney

Starting C: Humphrey

Starting RG: Smith

Starting RT: Niang

Backups: Remmers, Wylie, Duvernay-Tardif, Allegretti, Blythe

PUP list: Long

Practice Squad: Wanogho, Durant

Versatility Is The Word

Moving on to the other side of the trenches, this group may be better than most national media thinks. This group has said they will have to be more versatile this season, by moving players around the defensive front. That has not been an issue so far. Additionally, the youth of this group is feeding off of one another. That could be vital for the Chiefs defense within the next few years.

Here is the current group of defensive linemen on the Kansas City depth chart. It includes Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, Derrick Nnadi, Frank Clark, Tershawn Wharton, Alex Okafor, Khalen Saunders, Mike Danna, Tim Ward, Joshua Kaindoh, Tyler Clark, Demone Harris and Austin Edwards.

Faster and Stronger

The real only considerable question mark from this group is Frank Clark. He was arrested twice in the offseason for gun related charges. One included a felony charge. It appears as though the league will not be suspending him for any off field conduct.

Meanwhile, he showed up on time to training camp. Clark was looking smooth. He added some weight, but was carrying it extremely well in pass rush drills. That was halted though, as Clark suffered a hamstring injury. He missed all three preseason games with that injury. The hope is that he will be ready for Week One. Nevertheless, the Chiefs have been receiving tremendous production from this group without him in the fold.

If it was even possible, Jones, Wharton and Saunders look even quicker than we have seen before. Jones cut barbeque out of his diet and dropped 15 pounds, knowing he would be adding defensive end to his role. Wharton is a breakout candidate on a national level waiting to happen in my mind. Moreover, Saunders looks to have found his confidence, aggression and improved technique entering year three of his career.

Let’s not forget about the muscle on the Chiefs defensive line. Reed still remains one of the more underrated signings of the entire NFL offseason. He can provide pressure and has stout instincts against the run. Nnadi has been one of the more consistently dominant run stuffers on the Chiefs defense throughout his career. Subsequently, do not forget about Danna or Ward. They can be a lot more commanding up front than most realize. Kaindoh even looks more polished already, compared to where he was at the beginning of training camp.

There are really not a lot of questions in my mind for who makes the roster from this group. Like the offensive line, I have ten players making the Chiefs 53 man roster from the defensive line.

FINAL DEFENSIVE LINE DEPTH CHART

Defensive End: Jones, Frank Clark, Okafor, Danna, Ward, Kaindoh

Defensive Tackle: Reed, Nnadi, Wharton, Saunders

Be on the lookout for the rest of our Chiefs 53 man roster projection pieces and other articles in the upcoming weeks. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.