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KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Kansas City Chiefs open the 2021 NFL regular season against the Cleveland Browns on September 12 at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs finished 14-2 last season, winning AFC West before losing Super Bowl LV to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Chiefs face their most interesting roster decisions on the offensive and defensive lines. They added eight strong roster contenders who weren’t with the team last year on the offensive line and have enough depth on the defensive line to have already knocked out one of the season’s top assistants. last, Taco Charlton.
The roster will be reduced to 53 players at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Here is a projection:
DISTRICT (2): Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne
This place is bright and has been for some time. The only thing that was going to change this depth picture was an injury. The Chiefs kept two quarterbacks for a while and that plan worked for them. I expect rookie Shane Buechele to be part of the practice squad.
RETURN (4): Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams, Jerick McKinnon, Michael Burton
The Chiefs have had to dig deep into their running back table several times over the past few seasons due to injuries, so keeping just three star fullbacks (Burton is a fullback and a special teams player) is a risk. . For this reason, it wouldn’t be surprising if Darwin Thompson made the list. But the need for this spot on the list is greater in other positions, at least right now.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, Marcus Kemp
Five receivers is not a lot and it may not be enough. Daurice Fountain has played well in camp and in the preseason, but the Chiefs don’t have the space to carry a sixth receiver. Rookie Cornell Powell, a fifth-round draft pick, is also released in that scenario. The Chiefs may want to bring both players back to the practice squad.
TIGHT END (4): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray, Jody Fortson
I have the chefs who are heavy here. Gray and Fortson are perhaps the best receivers the Chiefs have combined with Kelce in several years. With Bell, the Chiefs can make more use of the tight three-ended formations they successfully led a few years ago. Fortson gets the green light here instead of wide receiver Daurice Fountain due to his special teams play.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Lucas Niang, Nick Allegretti, Andrew Wylie, Mike Remmers, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Austin Blythe
The Chiefs will need additional bodies here for the start of the regular season due to training camp injuries to Duvernay-Tardif and Blythe. Because everyone will have missed out on a significant training time, it doesn’t make sense to rely on one or the other to be ready when the season begins. A player or both could go to the injured reserve, but in that case a short stay on the 53-player roster is needed if they are to return this season. Kyle Long, who missed all of training camp and preseason after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason, will start the season on the physically unable to perform list.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Derrick Nnadi, Jarran Reed, Tershawn Wharton, Khalen Saunders, Mike Danna, Alex Okafor, Josh Kaindoh, Demone Harris
Ten is a lot in this role, but they have too many good players or development prospects to let go of more. Tim Ward is cut under this scenario but he could make the team. That would mean someone else, probably Harris, would have to go.
LINEBACKER (5): Anthony Hitchens, Willie Gay, Ben Niemann, Nick Bolton, Dorian O’Daniel
The Chiefs have invested in those positions over the past two years, drafting Gay in the second round in 2020 and Bolton in the second round this year. Now is the time for them to get paid for these investments.
CORNER REAR (6): L’Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, Mike Hughes, Rashad Fenton, DeAndre Baker, BoPete Keyes
Hughes, a former Vikings first-round pick acquired by the Chiefs in the offseason, has carved out a role as a third cornerback. He could also return kickoffs or punters. Otherwise, these positions will be filled by players familiar with the Chiefs.
SAFETY (4): Tyrann Mathieu, Dan Sorensen, Juan Thornhill, Armani Watts
There is a lot of continuity in these positions for the leaders. Mathieu, Sorensen, Thornhill and Watts have been the top four goaltenders for playing time in each of the past two seasons and are expected to be so again.
SPECIALISTS (3): Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, James Winchester
The Chiefs will have the same kicker, punter and long snapper for the second straight season.
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