On Tuesday the Kansas City Chiefs will release five players to bump the roster number down to the league maximum of 75. Five days after that the number will be decreased by 22 more spots as the team establishes its 53 man roster.
This raises a couple of questions for me.
Do the Chiefs already know who those five players are?
My guess? They knew who the players are. It's pretty much been established at this point because the team has had thirty some odd practices to determine, 'Yeah he's got a shot to help us' or 'Nah, he's shown what he is at this point'.
As a league source told Tom Curran of NBC Sports recently, "Those guys that are getting cut on Tuesday, it's already too late for them. They're terminal. They needed to play well last week."
Will those five players even play tonight against the Seahawks?
Some might wonder why those five players might not get a shot. Well, let's say an injury occurs. Then the team is stuck with possibly paying out an injury settlement or keeping them in IR for the season. If you're a serious candidate to be one of the five cut, then it's a near certainty that you'll be one of the 22 the following week, so why would the Chiefs push their luck?
I'm not saying there's going to be five players that won't play tonight and they're going to be cut on Tuesday. It's possible but there's still a good chance that one or two players, maybe the sixth wide receiver or the seventh linebacker for example, won't see any time and they'll be the one cut loose.
So, as we sort through the roster and predict who is and isn't a future Chief, keep an eye on the fringe guys who don't log anytime tonight. It's a sure indicator that their career won't continue in Kansas City.
***
On the flip side, we're probably going to see at least one player see some action that the coaching staff has pegged as one of the five right now. And they'll do something in the game tonight that makes Todd Haley and Co. change their minds. Who is that player? We'll have to wait about nine hours to find out.
The advantage the Chiefs administration has is that the final preseason game is played next Thursday in St. Louis. That leaves all of Friday and some of Saturday for them to make the decision on the final 53.
To generate a little conversation, give me one player that, in your mind, is a sure-fire, no questions asked cut on Tuesday. It's a tough question because, like most rosters, the Chiefs last 40 players appear, at least to me, to be in a dead heat.