KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs open the 2021 NFL regular season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 12 at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs finished 14-2 last season, winning the AFC West before losing the Super Bowl LV to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The bosses face their most interesting staff decisions on the offensive and defensive lines. They added eight strong candidates to the roster who last year weren’t with the team on the offensive line and who had enough depth on the defensive line that they already cut one of last season’s best passers-by, Taco Charlton.
The roster will drop to 53 players at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne
This point is clear cut and has been for a long time. The only thing that changed this depth chart was an injury. The bosses have kept two quarterbacks for a while and this plan has worked for them. I hope rookie Shane Buechele forms the training squad.
RUNNING BACK (4): Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams, Jerick McKinnon and Michael Burton
The Chiefs have had to dig deep into the race depth chart in recent seasons due to injuries, so keeping just three outstanding backs (Burton is a defensive player and special teams) is a risk. For this reason, it would not be surprising for Darwin Thompson to make the list. But the need for this place on the list is greater in other positions, at least right now.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, Marcus Kemp
Five receivers are not many and may not be enough. Daurice Fountain played well in camp and preseason, but the Chiefs don’t have the space on the roster to lead a sixth receiver. Rookie Cornell Powell, a fifth-round draft pick, also comes out on this stage. Heads may want to bring both players back to the training squad.
FINAL CLOSED (4): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray and Jody Fortson
I have heads that go very heavy here. Gray and Fortson may be the best players to have received heads with Kelce in several years. Along with Bell, the Chiefs can use more than the three extreme formations they successfully led a few years ago. Fortson gets his head here instead of wide receiver Daurice Fountain because of his special team play.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Lucas Niang, Nick Allegretti, Andrew Wylie, Mike Remmers, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Austin Blythe
Heads will need additional bodies here for the start of the regular season due to training camp injuries at Duvernay-Tardif and Blythe. Since everyone will have lost a significant amount of training time, it is not prudent to have either to be prepared when the season starts. One player or both could move to the injured reserve, but in this case a short stay on the 53-man roster is required to return this season. Kyle Long, who missed the entire training camp and preseason after undergoing knee surgery out of season, will start the season on the physical disabilities roster.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Derrick Nnadi, Jarran Reed, Tershawn Wharton, Khalen Saunders, Mike Danna, Alex Okafor, Josh Kaindoh, Demone Harris
Ten is very much in this position, but they have too good players or development prospects to let go. Tim Ward is cut under that scenario, but he could form the team. That would mean someone else, probably Harris, would have to go.
LINEBACKER (5): Anthony Hitchens, Willie Gay, Ben Niemann, Nick Bolton and Dorian O’Daniel
Leaders invested in these positions over the past two years by drafting Gay in the second round in 2020 and Bolton in the second round this year. Now it’s time for them to get paid for these investments.
CANTONER (6): Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, Mike Hughes, Rashad Fenton, DeAndre Baker, BoPete Keyes
Hughes, a first-round draft pick from the Vikings acquired by the Chiefs in the offseason, has played a role as a third-round pick. He could also return the throws or throws. Otherwise, these positions will be occupied by players familiar to the bosses.
SECURITY (4): Tyrann Mathieu, Dan Sorensen, Juan Thornhill, Armani Watts
There is a lot of continuity in these positions for bosses. Mathieu, Sorensen, Thornhill and Watts have been the top four in-game guarantees in each of the last two seasons and should be again.
SPECIALISTS (3): Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, James Winchester
The Chiefs will have the same kicker, pointer and long snapper for the second straight season.