Chiefs Quarterbacks, Secondary Biggest Unknown Heading into Cutdown Day

First off, we've got a must read for you.  Over at the Mothership, Josh Looney has a nice chart posted that lists the number of players kept at each position for the '08 and '07 Chiefs, Cardinals and Patriots.  It definitely helps give us an idea of how many players the Chiefs might keep at each position this year.

I stress might because, well, the more we learn about this team the more we realize we don't know.

One note to mention is that the '08 and '07 Chiefs didn't run a 3-4 defense so the number of defensive linemen, ends and linebackers will be much different.

Today, however, I want to point out the two positions where I think we'll see good players from the Chiefs hitting the waiver wire.  Predicting the cuts for this administration is difficult but as we wind down to the league mandated 53 man roster, it's becoming a numbers game.  

Here are the two positions where I think the biggest question marks remain.

Quarterback

I won't spend much time here because, if you've looked at Arrowhead Pride in the last month, you know the quarterback debate has been heated and well discussed.

Matt Cassel is safe.  There's no question about that.  In my humble opinion, Brodie Croyle is safe as well.

That leaves Tyler Thigpen and Matt Gutierrez as the two battling it out for what is likely to be one position.  There's a chance the Chiefs carry four quarterbacks, especially in the early goings as Cassel's injury isn't quite known, but I deem it unlikely.  Just my opinion, which would mean something only if I was on the Chiefs payroll.

My best guess: Gutierrez is cut, Thigpen remains.

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Secondary

Prior to training camp, or even a week into training camp, I never would have guessed this would become arguably the most interesting position battle.

DaJuan Morgan's return from injury is what made this one of the best battles in the '09 version of Chiefs training camp.

We've now heard two rumors about the Chiefs trying to move a safety.  The first came a couple weeks back when the Chiefs were rumored to have offered the Lions DaJuan Morgan for a fourth round pick in return.  Schwartz and Lions didn't bite.  The next rumor, reported by Brad Biggs of the National Football Post, stated the Chiefs were shopping Bernard Pollard.  As of this posting, there's been no movement on that front.

The Chiefs worked Mike Brown out in early June then had a month full of OTAs looking at the current safeties and brought him on board.  Doesn't that say to you they thought Brown has a very good shot to make this team?  It does to me.

Here's my thought process on the whole secondary:

If the Chiefs keep four cornerbacks, they'll probably keep five safeties and we won't be discussing the Pollard/Brown/Morgan issue.  This is definitely a possibility.  Here are the current corners and who I would release if only four were retained:

• Brandon Carr, Brandon Flowers, Maurice Leggett, Donald Washington, Ricardo Colclough and Jackie Bates
• That would leave the following safeties: Jarrad Page, Jon McGraw, Bernard Pollard, Mike Brown, DaJuan Morgan and Ricky Price

If the Chiefs keep five cornerbacks, then they're likely keeping Colclough or Bates and it could mean only four safeties are retained:

• Page and McGraw probably safe
• Two spots for Pollard, Brown and Morgan

With a pair of trade rumors involving Chiefs safeties, something tells me they don't want to keep five.  Or it tells me they'll hang onto five, for now, and move one of them.  Just a hunch.

My best guess: Chiefs keep four cornerbacks (Carr, Leggett, Flowers and Washington) and five safeties (Page, McGraw, Pollard, Brown and Morgan).

How it all really shakes out?  I guess we'll know in about eight hours.