FanPost

Chiefs 53-man roster prediction: 53 Angry Men Edition

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

From the FanPosts. Good read. -Joel

Thank dear, sweet baby Chiefus that football is back.

I've been slowly losing my mind over the last few months, what with my going back to school after two years away from college, my job slowly sucking out my soul, and the Royals slow collapse into mediocrity. Football's imminent return has given me something to look forward to, and now that it is mere days from the season opener I find that I can barely contain my joy.

I was at training camp on August 8th, and it was a blast. My brother and I awoke early-ish, made the hour-and-change drive from Blue Springs up to Saint Joseph, and enjoyed the nicest day Kansas City had enjoyed in weeks. If you haven't been to camp, I would recommend making a pilgrimage out there, and watch the titans (not those Titans) clash. Watching Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey destroy tackling dummies is a thing of beauty.

This inspired me, in part, to actually get around to writing this. While a lot can change in the nest few days, I think that it's rational that we can pick about 40-ish of the guys who will make the final 53 without too much controversy. And the other 13? Nothing but pure #HotTakes.

So without too much waxing poetic, I'll hop into the actual article, starting with the offense.

Bold indicates a player making the roster, italicized the starter.

Offense

Quarterbacks

Alex Smith

Nick Foles

Kevin Hogan

Tyler Bray

Aaron Murray

Obviously, Alex is the clear-cut starter. Unless the Chiefs decide to pull a wild and insane move and cut Smith to roll with the Foles, he's going to enter the season as our defined QB1. Kevin Hogan, as the rookie they just drafted in the 5th, is fairly safe unless he decides to rob convenience stores or something, and Nick Foles, the recipient of a new deal with a nice team option for next year, as the only non-Smith QB to have taken a snap in a real game, seems like he is safe too. That brings us to Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray.

Can the Chiefs afford to carry four QBs? I doubt it. Every roster spot is precious, and both of these QBs are talented enough that it's doubtful they'd last on the practice squad, if they're even eligible. Barring a mystery IR designation for one or the other, I think that Chiefs GM John Dorsey either tries to trade them (I hear Dallas is looking for a backup and Minnesota is looking for anyone not named Shaun Hill) or they're both released. As of now, release seems most likely.

Running Backs

Jamaal Charles

Spencer Ware

Charcandrick West

Darrin Reaves

Anthony Sherman

Knile Davis

Trey Millard (IR)

Kick-return ability is the only thing that's kept Arkansas alum Knile Davis on the Chiefs roster, and with the acquisition of returner phenom Tyreek Hill, suddenly Davis seems vulnerable. He's the fourth-best RB on the team at best, and I can't see him sticking. Darrin Reaves, however, has had a very strong preseason and looks to fit well in the Chiefs offense.

JC25, West / Ware, and Sherman all seem to be locks, with Reaves leaning towards a roster spot. Unless Sherm is cut for cap space, it doesn't make sense to cut him.

Wide Receivers

Jeremy Maclin

Albert Wilson

Chris Conley

Rod Streater

DeMarcus Robinson

Tyreek Hill

De'Anthony Thomas

Da'Ron Brown

Frankie Hammond Jr

Boy howdy, do we have a lot of WRs on the roster now.

There's a lot of guys I'm fairly sure aren't making the team. Seantavius Jones, Mike Williams, Kashif Moore, Da'Ron Brown, and Mitch Mathews were nice camp bodies and might make the PS in everyone's case except Williams but they're just that. I've wanted Frankie Hammond Jr gone for two seasons now, and I think I'm finally going to get my wish; no longer will our KRs be called back due to dumb block-in-the-back penalties. No more!

Maclin is far and away our WR1, Chris Conley and Albert Wilson seem to have held on to their 2 and 3 spots, and Rod Streater seems like the type of vet presence that could help make our depth not so frightening. I gave the final 2 spots to Hill due to his dynamic returner ability and speed and to DeMarcus Robinson, 4th round pick and talented young guy from Florida. Sorry, DAT, but Hill has taken your spot on the team.

Tight End

Travis Kelce

Demetrius Harris

Ross Travis

Brian Parker

James O'Shaughnessy

An actual quote, by me to my brother, while watching Chiefs TC:

The TE room seems fairly straightforward. Kelce is a top-10 guy in the league, Harris is good enough to stick, and O'Shaughnessy showed a lot of promise before his injury last year. That about takes care of-

Wait, who's the guy wearing 88?

...

Holy crap.

Ross Travis looked amazing out there. Big, strong, caught the ball naturally, had good speed, everything you want from a TE. He's another converted basketball player, so he's bound to be rough around the edges, but he has all the tools to become a nice player for us, if only brought in to be another move TE in a 3TE formation. Brian Parker takes the fourth spot due to his proficiency as a blocker, allowing the Chiefs to set up a seriously scary Jumbo package. As much as I liked O'Shaughnessy coming out of college and into last season, it looks like he's lost some of his athleticism with his injury. A real shame.

Offensive Line

Eric Fisher

Parker Ehinger

Mitch Morse

Laurent Duvarney-Tardif

Mitchell Schwartz

Jarrod Pughsley

Zach Fulton

Jah Reid

Zach Sterup

Reid Fragel

Jordan Devey

Daniel Munyer

So by now, the starters seem to be in line. Rookie Parker Ehinger seems to have taken the LG spot, for better or for worse, Big Fish just got paid, Dorsey brought in FA(O) Mitch Schwartz to solidify the RT spot, and LDT seems to not suck as bad, according to camp reports. However, I also think the backup spots should be easy to figure out.

Zach Fulton is experienced at both G and C, so it seems like he'll stay. Jah Reid, who I had thought would beat out LDT for the RG spot, has experience at both G and T, and although he's not great at T, he can hold up. For now, I have Jarrod Pughsley making the 8th spot on OL, but as Zach Sterup is suspended until Week 4, look for him to possibly join the team in Week 5 as our primary backup T.

Defense

Defensive Line

Allen Bailey

Dontari Poe

Jaye Howard

Chris Jones

Rakeem Nunez-Roches

Nick Williams

David King

Jimmy Staten

This year, our defensive line is the strongest position group of the defense, thanks to some masterful drafting and player acquisitions. Bailey-Poe-Howard will be the starters, with second round rookie Chris Jones rotating in. After them, I have RNR and Nick Williams as the rotational guys in the back to pick up a few snaps here and there. Staten and King are decent players, and should catch onto at least a practice squad somewhere.

Outside Linebackers

Justin Houston (PUP)

Tamba Hali

Dee Ford

Dezman Moses

Dadi Nicolas

Frank Zombo

Andy Mulumba

With Houston on the PUP and not counting towards the roster, the Chiefs carry four OLBs into the season; Tamba Hali and Dee Ford are set to start, with veteran Frank Zombo and rookie Dadi Nicolas possibly seeing some snaps should everything go to hell. With such a strong defensive line, the OLBs might see more one-on-one scenarios than usual, and allow them to get to the QB more easily. If not, the Chiefs might be in trouble.

Inside Linebackers

Derrick Johnson

Justin March

Ramik Wilson

DJ Alexander

Tyrell Adams

Terrence Smith

Josh Mauga (IR)

With vet Josh Mauga hitting the IR, Justin March seems poised to step up to the plate for the Chiefs this year and build on the hype train by starting next to All-Time Chief Derrick Johnson. Second year player Ramik Wilson appears to be the first of the bench, and special teams ace DJ Alexander is a competent backup.

Cornerbacks

Marcus Peters

Philip Gaines

Steven Nelson

Kenneth Acker

KeiVarae Russell

DJ White

Deveron Carr

Marcus Cooper

The CB room is looking to be very thin this year. Behind stud second-year player Marcus Peters, it seems Phil Gaines and Steven Nelson are to be the CB2 and CB3, although which one is which can be decided by someone smarter than me. The Chiefs recently traded a future pick to the Niners for CB Ken Acker, so it can safely be assumed that he will make the roster for depth purposes alongside rookies KeiVarae Russell and DJ White. Look for Marcus Cooper to be a possibility if one of the rookies is shunned to the PS.

Safeties

Eric Berry

Ron Parker

Daniel Sorenson

Eric Murray

Jeron Johnson

Shak Randolph

Jamell Fleming

At S, the Chiefs have an embarrassment of riches. All-Pro Eric Berry and solid starter Ron Parker headline the lineup, with Daniel Sorenson being a nice contributor and rookie Eric Murray showing some promise. Fleming has spit in my eye too many times, and Johnson / Randolph are both guys who could make the PS.

Specialists

Dustin Colquitt

Cairo Santos

James Winchester

Enough said.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.