David Bell
Chris Jones – He is not the top DT in the NFL
Jones could take over the ranking- but he hasn’t yet.
Brett Veach is not going to give him $30M per year and a huge amount of guaranteed money. Bank On That! I am a huge Chris Jones Fan and there can be no doubt out there in the Kingdom about that. He was a player I believed in before the draft — that bet by John Dorsey was a great one. Jones is not worth the kind of money he appears to be seeking and what is going on gives the lie to what he has publically said. It would be far better to trade Jones than to give in. Barring that, Josh Kingsley wrote in a comment yesterday: “I see another option: he plays this season, gets tagged, sign and trade beginning of next year”. Laddie Morse replied: “Yep… sitting out this year is not an option for CJ…. but playing out the final year of his contract is. So, as you’ve said… he may play out his tagged season then do a sign-n-trade next offseason”.
Things come down to money, as it should. Players want to get the dough, and teams are tight with the pocketbook. My take is that if CJ holds out, it’s better to take the Winfall in draft picks than to sign him to that big contract–if indeed there is a team who is willing to ante up.
I love CJ. I do. But I love the Chiefs more! I now doubt the veracity of what Jones has said about wanting to play for the Chief’s franchise for the rest of his career. Personally, despite my fondness for CJ? Give me money to extend Creed Humphrey or LJ Sneed. Or both. There is more work to be done to retain players aside from Jones.
Can FAU and Karlaftis handle the outside? Uncle, You Bet! The question then comes down to the IDL: Can the players in house hold fort until Omenihu gets back after a 6-week layoff? My take then more closely mirrors that of Josh Kingsley and Laddie Morse. Would I like to see Carlos Dunlap signed back to the roster? Yepper! I am gaining faith in Keondre Morse, Danny Shelton, and Tershawn Wharton as time flies down to the wire. I suppose I need to trust that potential.
The Secondary: a Matter of Trust & Exploration!
Even if LJ has to sit, let’s be patient and get him healed up. The swollen knee is an abiding worry. Sit his butt down and give it time to heal. The Chief’s secondary is in good shape even if Sneed has to sit a bit. The guys are showing it in camp. Trust what’s going on. The coaching staff has determined that the existing players will handle the duty. If that means that Sneed has to sit in pre-season, then let’s trust the process. Trust in Dave Merritt!
The LB Crew
I see absolutely no reason to doubt that the Chiefs LB Corp is not a top-notch outfit. Gay, Bolton, and Tranquill give the Chiefs a completely solid threesome. Whomever they add as the 4th LIB is icing on the cake.
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DE – No Question, Actually
- George Karlaftis
- Felix Anudike-Uzomah
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Depth DE?
* Malik Herring
* Joshua Kaindoh
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DT: Unranked
- Chris Jones
- Danny Shelton
- Keondre Coburn
- Phil Hoskins
- Tershawn Wharton
- Daniel Wise
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QB: There are no questions
Like any team with a Franchise QB, the team and staff hope that nothing serious happens! In 2022, Patrick Mahomes battled a high-ankle sprain. He passed the test, playing on it in the playoffs. The Chiefs signed former Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert. I see no reason to mistrust the brain trust in making that decision. It’s my view that the Chiefs will roll with two backup QBs due to the new NFL Rule. Shane Buechele would be the #3, but does not have to be on the active roster.
RBs?
We already know the scoop. Isiah Pacheco will be the feature back, the #2 will be Jerick McKinnon, #3 will be Clyde Edwards-Helaire and it appears almost certain that Deneric Prince will round out the crew. La’Michal Perine needs to beat out one of the others.
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WRs: You May Doubt This List, But It’s Valid At This Point
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- MVS
- Skyy Moore
- Rashee Rice
- Kadarius Toney (we’re hearing he will be available opening day, on the active roster)
- Justyn Ross
- Richie James or possibly Nikko Remigio
- Either Justin Watson or Nikko Remigio
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I cannot, at present, assign Nikko to the 7th slot. He would have to supplant James to make that happen. If indeed, Remigio made a tone of headway, James would likely fall to the wayside. I don’t see that happening. Watson, in my mind has had a good enough camp thus far to ensure a roster spot – and I am going with seven WR Mostly because of vacated roster spots, ie, QB#3 and FB).
What Doubts About TEs?
Travis Kelce is the preeminent TE in Football. Trav is a future HoF TE. After him, comes Noah Gray, Matt Bushman, Jody Fortson, and Blake Bell. I don’t think there is any arguing point. It will come down to Bell or Bushman. The monkey-wrench consideration is a fan favorite, Fortson. If I had my druthers, it would be Bushman and Fortson and Bell could sit on the PS. But I have mentioned previously, Blake Bell is a completely solid blocking TE and has a family history with the Chiefs which will also have import!
There Are No Doubts About the OL – I Am Listing 11 Players
Keep in mind that I have had growing faith in Wayna Morse which may preclude Mike Caliendo and or Darian Kinnard. Any way you pick the list, the left over players will go to the PS –it would be a shame to lose any of them due to “theft”!
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- LOT – Donovan Smith
- LOG – Joe Thuney
- OC – Creed Humphrey
- ROG – Trey Smith
- ROT – Jawaan Taylor
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This is a very solid starting five.
OL Depth?
- LOT#2 – Prince Tega Wanogho
- LOG#2 – Mike Caliendo
- C#2 – Nick Allegretti (stand-in would be Austin Reiter)
- SW/T – Wanya Morse
- ROG#2 – Darian Kinnard
- ROT#2 – Lucas Niang
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What Have I Left Out?
Special Teams!
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- PU – Tommy Townsend
- PK – Harrison Butker
- LS – James Winchester
- Gunner #1 ? – pre-season sort out
- Gunner #2 ?- pre-season sort out
- Kick Returner – Deneric Prince
- Punt Returner – Richie James or Nikko Remigio
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That’s how I see It. Until we see what happens in preseason games, we won’t be able to finalize the final 53. Above is a pretty good list. We’ll see! It’s all fun to watch!
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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