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Like every other team in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs had to trim their roster down to 53 players yesterday. It is an exciting day for those that are possibly making the opening day roster for the very first time. Yet, there is also plenty of challenging decisions and frustrating feelings that can result for those that are getting cut.
Kansas City did not necessarily have a ton of surprises, in terms of what the active roster turned out to be. At the same time, the surprises or changes to how they have built the 53-man roster this year proved to be rare for this regime. The Chiefs accomplished some new feats, so to speak. All told, the most shocking parts of the roster building was largely about who missed the cut than anything else.
Keep in mind, every team may still do some roster shuffling over the next week or so before Week 1. Just because the active roster is set at 53 players right now, the Chiefs could still make some moves in the coming days. But for now, let’s look into some quirks or tidbits that Kansas City gave us with their decisions yesterday. What other takeaways do we have about the initial 53-man roster? Let’s kick it off.
OFFENSE
A New First Under Andy Reid
There were a couple of new firsts for the Kansas City Chiefs initial 53-man roster this year. For the first time with Andy Reid as head coach, the team does not have a true fullback. Anthony Sherman manned the position from 2013 to 2020. Michael Burton then followed him at the spot for the last two years.
Meanwhile, this is the first time in Reid’s coaching tenure that the Chiefs have kept seven wide receivers. The most Kansas City had kept over the last decade was six. But even in the last couple of seasons, the Chiefs only had five wide receivers to start the regular season. There was always a great deal of talent in past years that competed at wide receiver in training camp. Though, Kansas City opted to lean heavily on a select few wide receivers in certain years.
That is not to say that this year’s group lacks talent. Based on what we have seen in training camp and the preseason, this current Kansas City wide receiver room could be way deeper than most people anticipated. There may just simply be a lack of star power from a national stage.
There is a lot to like from the seven names that made the cut. Most of all, the fact that Justyn Ross is healthy and ready to roll is exciting. His injury history includes neck/spine and foot ailments in just the last few years. Nevertheless, his hard work has resulted in high expectations from both the team and Chiefs fans entering the year.
Running Back Depth
The Chiefs have entered the regular season with just three running backs at times before. However, it was a little surprising that they did not keep a fourth running back after the initial cuts. It appeared that the undrafted free agent rookie, Deneric Prince, was building a strong case to make the roster early on in training camp. His pass catching ability was a nice wrinkle on the depth chart. Unfortunately, his preseason showings left a lot to be desired.
Elsewhere, La’Mical Perine did have some positive moments in the preseason games and appeared to be making a late push for the 53-man roster. The Florida product offers a tremendous mix of power and shiftiness within the Chiefs running back room.
Neither were necessarily locks to make it. Kansas City has also received crucial production from Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon recently. It just seemed like one of Perine or Prince was going to be utilized on special teams or in specific offensive looks, though. Time will tell if any of those two running backs are brought back on the practice squad.
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DEFENSE
The Next Step In Chris Jones Saga
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At this point, it may not be too surprising to see Chris Jones off the active 53-man roster. The next step in this saga is possibly a bit clearer after Tuesday, however. The Kansas City Chiefs placed Jones on the reserve/did not report list. Therefore, he is not a part of the 53-man roster currently. With his holdout continuing, the Chiefs did acquire defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. in a minor trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday. Farrell Jr. is entering his second season in the NFL out of LSU.
Why is this placement of Jones on the reserve/did not report list so important? For starters, the Kansas City salary cap situation is critical to note. Because he is not currently on the active roster, Jones’ $19.5 million base salary for this season does not count against the team’s salary cap right now. This gives the Chiefs some breathing room for the time being to make another addition or sign necessary players to the practice squad.
Jones is not just saving the team against the salary cap right now. By continuing his holdout into the regular season, there is a chance that the disgruntled defensive tackle sacrifices significant money for this year. He has already racked up around $2 million in fines for missing minicamp and training camp. And if he is still not on the active roster by Thursday’s opening night game against the Detroit Lions, Jones would be losing one week’s worth of salary. He would be forfeiting a game check for each game missed in the regular season. His $19.5 million base salary equates to him losing $1.083 million for each game missed.
Defensive Back Surplus Not Utilized
The Chiefs had a handful of exciting defensive back names not make the active roster. That is a testament to how well they have rebuilt the secondary in the last two years. Perhaps, many of these that missed the cut and showed some potential will make it back to the Kansas City practice squad. At cornerback, names like Ekow Boye-Doe, Kahlef Hailassie, Lamar Jackson and Reese Taylor all had exciting moments and flashes in training camp and the preseason. Safety Deon Bush was also a bit of a shocking release. The veteran is a special teams ace and solid defensive depth option. In the end, the roster crunch left the Chiefs to cut many promising names in the secondary.
UDFA Spotlight
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There have been some undrafted free agent rookies contend for roster spots in recent years. Some of those did make it back to the Chiefs practice squad in their first year in the league. On the flip side, by our count the last undrafted free agent rookie to make the 53-man roster in their first year with Kansas City was Tershawn Wharton in 2020.
Now, Cam Jones sticks around as a rookie UDFA. There was momentum building for the Indiana product late in training camp and the preseason. Quietly, the linebacker room has grown to be deep for Kansas City. The Chiefs were still largely impressed with the downhill trigger and instincts of Jones. It will be interesting to see how he is utilized.
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.