Chiefs: Start of Camp Roster Prediction
by Ransom Hawthorne
Fans think of training camp as the place where rosters get ironed out and spots get won. Truthfully, the vast majority of the roster is already set, and competition is only fierce at a handful of spots. This year’s roster prediction shows a whole lot of new talent, but not many surprises. A trade or two is likely to change the final roster, before all is said and done. After all, Veach is still kicking the tires, on WRs and CBs. Barring that, this is what the final roster will, probably, look like.
QB(3): 1.Patrick Mahomes 2.Chad Henne 3.Chase Litton
No surprises here. Mahomes is the starter. Henne is his right hand man, due to his experience. While McGloin has some potential, and is likely further along in his understanding of NFL football, Litton has a bigger arm, a cheaper contract, and more untapped potential. Barring a total melt-down, in preseason action, Litton makes the team.
RB(5): 4. Kareem Hunt 5.Spencer Ware 6.Damien Williams 7.Darrell Williams 8.Anthony Sherman
Ware signed a contract that shows he’s gonna play. Damien is a STs ace and an energy guy. Veach wants him in the locker room even more than he wants him on the field. This will bump Charcandrick West, who plays a similar role, off the roster. Darrell Williams is too talented to stash on the practice squad. A big part of salary cap management is finding talented UDFAs, and Williams is the crown jewel of Chiefs 2018 class. Chiefs’ RB core gets bigger, stronger and deeper. Chiefs really like West, if they want to find a way to keep him, we could see one of these guys traded to a RB needy team, but only if the compensation is right.
WR(5): 9.Sammy Watkins 10.Tyreek Hill 11. Chris Conely 12.Jehu Chesson 13. DeMarcus Robinson
DAT may squeeze his way into the group, but, for now, these are the only guys I see with true starter upside. A few players like Kemp, and Byron Pringle, will look close to winning a roster, spot, but will fall just short. Chiefs aren’t loaded enough at WR to need six on the main roster. If Robinson’s hands don’t show significant improvement, he could be the first to go. Dieter is a favorite target of Mahomes, but his lack of athleticism will mean he needs to show incredible ability on contested catches to earn a spot on the final roster.
TE(3): 14.Travis Kelcie 15.Alex Ellis 16.Jace Amaro
No, Chiefs aren’t cutting Demetrius Harris. He just won’t count against the initial roster, because of his suspension. Blake Mack might make the roster next year, but, for now, Chiefs roll with more experienced veterans. Ellis offers a quality blocking option, while Amaro should be more of a threat in the passing game. Which guy they cut, when Harris comes back, should tell you a little bit about what they value in Harris.
STs: 17.Dustin Colquitt 18.Harrison Butker 19.James Winchester
No surprises here at all.
OL(9): 20.Eric Fisher 21.Parker Ehinger 22.Mitch Morse 23.Laurent Duvernet-Tardif 24.Mitchell Schwartz 25.Bryan Witzmann 26.Cameron Erving 27.Kahlil McKenzie 28.Ryan Hunter
Morse looks to be on the mend, which is good news for the Chiefs. Ehinger has the best shot at LG, though McKenzie or Hunter will likely take his job in a year or two. This allows Witzmann to go back to his Swing Tackle role. Erving takes over for Fulton as the ‘anywhere on the line’ guy. The versatility of Chiefs veteran backups (Erving and Witzmann), is what will allow them to keep two rookies on the OL. Provided they develop, that’ll be a great thing for Chiefs’ cap moving forward. OL talent is getting harder to find in the draft, and, as a result, even average veterans are getting huge pay-days.
S(5): 29.Eric Berry 30.Daniel Sorenson 31.Armani Watts 32.Eric Murray 33.Leon McQuay
Berry’s return is the good news here. Outside of that, there are a lot of question marks. Armani Watts, is talented, but already dealing with an ankle injury. That’s a bad spot for an injury, if you’re a safety, Chiefs need to let it heal completely, before he can see much action, likely delaying his first start. After that, Chiefs are relying on Murray to make a big leap in performance, or 7th rounder McQuay to start. McQuay looked pretty good against Denver, but he also got dinged up, raising questions about his durability. This group has potential, but injury concerns could leave Chiefs’ scrambling for a #2 safety mid-season.
CB(5): 34.Kendall Fuller 35.David Amerson 36.Steven Nelson 37.Aarion Springs 38.Tremon Smith
A trade, or signing, should be made to improve this group, but if one isn’t, this is what Chiefs will have to work with. Fuller is elite, and Nelson is an average starter. Amerson has been a decent CB, in the past, but, after last year, needs to prove he still can be. Smith has great atheticism, but will need time to adjust to better competition. Springs has been a pleasant surprise. He’s a lot like Terrence Mitchell. Not the best athlete, but he’s a competitor with good technique. Should be a good for a game or two, but don’t plan on him ever reaching the top of the depth chart.
OLB(5): 39.Justin Houston 40.Dee Ford 41.Tanoh Kpassagnon 42.Breeland Speaks 43. Rob McCray
The top four are set, at OLB, but the 5th spot could get interesting. Zombo is a good STs player, and a valued veteran, he probably actually gets the spot, but I like McCray better. He’s got the size and athleticism to fit what Veach is looking for. UDFAs seldom turn out to be quality pass rushers, but I think he can contribute more, at a lesser price, than Zombo, at this point.
ILB(5) 44.Anthony Hitchens 45.Reggie Ragland 46.Ukeme Eligwe 47.Terrence Smith 48.Dorian O’Daniel
Smith and Eligwe will have stiff competition for their spots on the roster, but should, ultimately, prevail. Hitchens and Ragland are locked in. O’Daniel is likely to lead all rookies in snaps. He’s a big part of Chiefs plans, in dime defense, and Sutton loves versatile players. Since LBs are often STs stalwarts, it’s possible Chiefs could decide to keep a 6th guy. If that happens, keep an eye on Ben Niemann of Iowa, as a potential backup to Ragland.
DL(5): 49.Chris Jones 50.Allen Bailey 51.Xavier Williams 52.Jarvis Jenkins 53.Derrick Nnadi
Chiefs lack of depth, on DL, makes this a good spot to consider a trade. If they don’t do that, I see five guys worth roster spots. With Chiefs running a lot more two DL sets, and having bigger OLBs, who can reduce inside, that might be enough. Bailey gets a chance to bounce back. Jenkins had some good games at the end of the year, hopefully that translates to more consistent performance from day one.
Chiefs offense looks to be significantly upgraded, from last year. The defense, has a lot of new faces, but that has engendered more curiosity than confidence, at this point. If I were Veach, I would be considering trades at WR, DL and CB. While safety and TE could use some upgrades, Chiefs have enough options there to get by. Of course, as my Sophomore Bible teacher, who also happened to be the football coach, used to say, “Don’t get by, get better.” Go Chiefs.
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