So last week I took a crack at guessing the Chiefs 53-Man roster. Once I finished that piece, I figured I would do an update weekly–every Monday morning–from now until the actual roster is released. The updates will be based on what we saw from the players during the preseason games, so they may fluctuate severely from week to week.

 

If there are changes to a particular roster spot from the previous week, that name will be crossed out and the new name will fill its place. That way, we can all keep track who I “cut” and who I “keep” each week.

 

With that being said, here is the second go ’round for the Chiefs roster.

 

The Offense

 

Quarterbacks:

 

QB1: 11 Alex Smith

 

QB2: 4 Nick Foles

 

QB3: 9 Tyler Bray 7 Aaron Murray

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 9 Tyler Bray, 8 Kevin Hogan

 

Smith was all business the first drive of the first preseason game. His only incomplete pass came on a play which began with a bad snap from center Mitch Morse, and Alex was forced to dump it off. While Foles didn’t look super, I would be willing to bet my first born–he’s an unruly 19 year-old, so not sure how much you want to take that bet–that Reid and Dorsey will not cut Foles. They’ve got a bit of money tied up in him and short of committing murder, Foles stays. Going into this game, I thought Bray was the clear leader of the pack among the bottom three. After watching him in action, I was not impressed. However, I did find myself impressed with more than a couple of plays from Murray. As of now, Murray gets the nod and Bray gets the boot. I still think Hogan gets a hang nail and ends up on IR.

 

Running Backs:

 

RB1: 25 Jamaal Charles

 

RB2: 32 Spencer Ware

 

RB3: 35 Charcandrick West

 

RB4: 34 Knile Davis

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 24 Darrin Reaves, 42 Anthony Sherman, 40 Trey Millard

 

 

My opinion here hasn’t changed. I still think that Sherman will be gone before the preseason is over, and that truly hurts me to say. I love the guy. He’s got personality and has considered himself the “personal protector” of the Chiefs’ halfbacks since his arrival in 2013. Plus, for those keeping score at home Sherman came to the Chiefs by way of Arizona in a trade for cornerback Javier Arenas. Arenas was drafted with a pick that was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for tight end Tony Gonzales. That makes Sherman the last remaining piece of Tony G the Chiefs hold onto. If he leaves, the great tight end’s spirit leaves with him…or something like that.

 

As for the rest of the running backs, I think Reid does away with the fullback position altogether and just plain keeps four halfbacks. We know Charles is on the roster. Ware started this week with the “one’s” and ran very well, scoring the only touchdown for the Chiefs. I can moving forward the team using him as the thunder to Charles’ lightning. West is definitely a good step in for Jamaal during the season. As for Davis, I just think he stays. He returned the ball extremely well this week and ran hard when he got his chance late in the game. I’m convinced this is how it goes down.

 

Wide Receivers:

 

WR1: 19 Jeremy Maclin

 

WR2: 81 Tyreek Hill

 

WR3: 12 Albert Wilson

 

WR4: 17 Chris Conley

 

WR5: 10 Rod Streater

 

WR6: 13 De’Anthony Thomas 15 Mike Williams

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 85 Frankie Hammond Jr., 89 Kashif Moore, 1 Da’Ron Brown, 6 Mseantavius Jones, 14 Demarcus Robinson, 13 De’Anthony Thomas, 83 Mitch Matthews

 

Did DAT play well? I thought he did. I thought he did as much as he could with the time he was given. I also think that Reid packaged some plays for him to deliberately get him on some tape. I think Reid and Dorsey are setting up a trade somewhere and it has DAT’s name all over it. Someone mentioned in the comments to my first article last week that they didn’t see Reid keeping DAT and Davis strictly for return duties. I’m inclined to agree. Having had a week to digest everything I think the Chiefs truly intend to move DAT or cut him, outright. That said, if they could flip him for a fifth, I call it a win.

 

As for Williams taking DAT’s spot, I though he had a couple of nice flashes when his number was called. It’s tough to grade some of the bottom of the roster guys because they are, well at the bottom of the roster and playing against other guys who are at the bottom of their roster. That said, if any of these receivers make the team, my guess is Williams.

 

 

Tight Ends:

TE1: 87 Travis Kelce

 

TE2: 80 James O’Shaughnessy

 

TE3: 82 Brian Parker 88 Ross Travis

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 84 Demetrius Harris, 82 Brian Parker

 

 

 

So last week I bagged on Ross Travis and made jokes about the fact that I didn’t know who he was and he could never make the team wearing #88. I’m a big enough man to admit when I’m wrong. I was wrong. Everything I saw from Ross was good. He blocked well, he caught well and he moved well with the ball. We all know how much Reid’s Chiefs love their two and three tight end sets. Having another reliable tight end that can move and catch well will be unstoppable. 

 

Along with that, I said I wanted to end the Demetrius Harris experiment, and now I want to do it faster than ever. He drops passes. He looks lost. He just hasn’t figured it out. I had high hopes for him, but I just don’t see it. Please Dorsey, if you’re listening, put your pride aside and make this stop. Please.

 

Offensive Line:

 

Note: I’ll break these guys down as a group instead of individual positions.

 

LT1: 72 Eric Fisher

 

LG1: 79 Parker Ehinger

 

LG2: 60 Jarrod Pughsley

 

C1: 62 Mitch Morse

 

C2: 73 Zach Fulton

 

RG1: 76Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

 

RG2: 75 Jah Reid

 

RT1: 71 Mitchell Schwartz

 

RT2: 62 Curtis Feight

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 74 Zach Sterup, 69 Reid Fragel, 64 Daniel Munyer, 68 Drew Nowak, 77 Jordan Devey, 65 Garrick Mayweather

 

In case you missed it, ol’ LDT can play some football. In fact, this is the best offensive line play I’ve seen from the Chiefs in…I don’t know how long. Last week I thought that Jah Reid would be the starting guard but I really think that LDT keeps that job. Reid will hopefully be the swing tackle/jack of all trades on the line when it’s all said and done. I didn’t notice anything else about the line play that made me think anything else. 

 

 

The Defense

 

Defensive Line:

 

DE1: 97 Allen Bailey

 

DE2: 95 Chris Jones

 

DE3: 96 Jaye Howard

 

DE4: 98 Nick Williams

 

NT1: 92 Dontari Poe

 

NT2: Rakeem Nunez-Roches

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 94 Jimmy Staten, 93 Daivd King, 66 Niko Davis,

 

So King and Davis both made some pretty good plays at the end of the game. The only problem was, they’re going against scrub offensive linemen. As with any other position group, it’s hard to make a genuine opinion of their play when they’re playing against non-NFL caliber players. I wish NFL coaches would put their second and third string against their opponent’s starters once in a while so we could see what we’re working with. But…I digress. The bottom line is, this is a room packed full of talent and I just don’t think these guys can break in. 

 

Pass Rushers:

 

OLB1: 55 Dee Ford

 

OLB2: 91 Tamba Hali

 

OLB3: 51 Frank Zombo 52 Dadi Nicolas

 

OLB4: 54 Dezman Moses

 

IR Designated to Return: 50 Justin Houston (Eligible to return Week 7)

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 40 Andy Mulumba, 51 Frank Zombo, 46 Jonathan Massaquoi

 

 

Dadi Nicholas is a B-E-A-S-T. He’s quick, and he moves well to the ball. He could really
turn into a quality pass rusher in this league. Especially working behind the likes of Hali and Houston. We know that Houston isn’t going to start this season. I still think the Chiefs best move is to put him on the IR with a designation to return. Giving the reigns to Ford and Nicholas could prove to be scary, but good things could happen. Yes, Tamba will be there, but I don’t think he can be counted on to play full games from start to fiish any more. For a position that has been so strong with the Chiefs the last several years, this one certainly has some question marks heading into the season.

 

Inside Linebackers:

 

ILB1: 56 Derrick (Big DJ) Johnson

 

ILB2: 59 Justin March

 

ILB3: 90 Josh Mauga  53 Ramik Wilson

 

ILB4: 57 (Little) D.J. Alexander

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 62 Terrance Smith, 90 Josh Mauga, 44 Tyrell Adams

 

There’s a saying that goes “you can’t make the club in the tub.” Mauga has played extremely well for the Chiefs over the last couple of years, and even exceeded the expectations of a lot of naysayers. But this injury he sustained is not doing him any favors. In his absence, guys like Justin March and Ramik Wilson are stepping up every day and making plays. Big plays! HUGE plays! Mauga doesn’t have the benefit to sit on the sideline and watch, knowing his spot is guaranteed like Jamaal Charles or Justin Houston. He has to work for his spot or find himself another job. Right now, I think he’s doing the latter come September.

 

Cornerbacks:

 

CB1: 22 Marcus Peters

 

CB2: 23 Phillip Gaines

 

CB3: 20 Steven Nelson

 

CB4: 26 KeiVarae Russell

 

CB5: 31 Marcus Cooper

 

CB6: 24 D.J. White

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 45 Bryce Cheek, 48 Malcom Jackson, 1 Deveron Carr

 

In case you missed it, with :01 second left on the clock in fourth quarter in the Chiefs’ first preseason game, KC was beating the Seattle Seahawks 16-9. When the clock hit :00, the ‘Hawks had pulled to within one, thanks to a long–desperation–touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Boykin to Tanner McEvoy. The worst part of the whole ordeal was the fact that McEvoy was covered–kinda–by #48 Malcom Jackson of the Chiefs. He more or less, watched McEvoy catch the ball in the end zone and then tried to wrestle it out of his hands. Too little, too late. He doesn’t make the team, I’m guessing. I didn’t see much else from this group to make me change my mind on any of their rankings.

 

 

Safeties:

 

SS1: 29 Eric Berry

 

SS2: 49 Daniel Sorensen

 

FS1: 38 Ron Parker

 

FS2: 30 Jamell Fleming 21 Eric Murray

 

Didn’t Make the Cut: 30 Jamell Fleming, 47 Shak Randolph, 39 Jeron Johnson, 27 Stevie Brown, 43 Akeem Davis

 

Eric Murray actually made some plays in the secondary, but I think he makes his money as a special teams player. A couple of players make the team every year based on their special teams play and I truly believe Murray is one of those guys. I just didn’t see enough from Fleming to show me anything.

 

Special Teams

 

Specialists:

 

P: 2 Dustin Colquitt

 

K: 5 Cairo Santos

 

LS: 41 James Winchester

 

 

Can your kicker make 58-yard field goals? Ours can! Santos has definitely been working out this year. That kid has a serious leg on him!

 

Returners:

 

Note: Keep in mind, these players don’t count agains the 53-man roster because they already count in their respective position groups.

 

PR1: 81 Tyreek Hill

 

PR2: 13 De’Anthony Thomas

 

KR1: 34 Knile Davis

 

KR2: 81 Tyreek Hill

 

KR3: 13 De’Anthony Thomas

 

 

Thomas is gone. I’m really convinced of it. After watching Hill and Davis return punts and kickoffs, I think they will do just fine. 

What do you think, friends? Do you think we’re getting closer?