Right now, there’s a lot that we still don’t know about the NFL’s plans for the 2020 season. All options seem to still be on the table as it relates to the roster and how it’s handled in case of a positive coronavirus test. With that in mind, we’re proceeding as planned with our projections and we’ll update them accordingly when more is agreed upon between the NFL and NFLPA.
One thing to note about our projections is that there are roster changes related to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The changes allow NFL teams to elevate two players from the practice squad on game day, increasing game-day roster size from 46 to 48 and 53-man roster size to 55. The size of the roster remains at 53 at all other times, which is why projections are still referred to as “53-man.”
Here is a look at our updated projections for the 53-man roster in Kansas City ahead of training camp:
Quarterback (3):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes |
| 2 | Matt Moore |
| 3 | Chad Henne |
The return of Moore signals that the Chiefs will likely roll with three quarterbacks this season. In the past, with Mahomes at the helm, the team has felt the need to only carry one backup. The realities of the coronavirus change that because of the possibility of players testing positive throughout the season.
Fans of Jordan Ta’amu need not worry, though. He’ll almost certainly be back on the practice squad if he’s not claimed off waivers by another team during roster cuts. Teams seem to be most concerned about keeping players that they’ve trained this season, so I’m not sure we’ll see a lot of players getting claimed on waivers.
Carrying three quarterbacks is a necessary but difficult decision for a team as deep as Kansas City. It limits the number of players you’re able to carry at other positions.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Running back (5):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Damien Williams |
| 2 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire |
| 3 | Darwin Thompson |
| 4 | Darrel Williams |
| 5 | FB Anthony Sherman |
This is the deepest running back group that Kansas City has seen in a long time. I really would love to find a way to keep a free agent signing like DeAndre Washington, but players who’ve played in the system already will likely take precedence in 2020.
Assuming Darrel Williams is healthy he’ll be favored over a player like Washington. It’s not only because he’s a veteran in the system, but he’s also someone who has mentored rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the past. Edwards-Helaire credits Williams for helping him learn the playbook at LSU. That’s someone that you definitely want around for Edwards-Helaire’s rookie season, especially a season which won’t see the normal ramp-up time for rookies to learn the system.
I still won’t cut Darwin Thompson, because he and Edwards-Helaire are the only running backs under contract beyond 2021. The Chiefs must find a way to keep Thompson on that rookie contract or prepare to invest money or draft capital in the running back position moving forward.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Wide receiver (5):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Tyreek Hill |
| 2 | Sammy Watkins |
| 3 | Mecole Hardman |
| 4 | Demarcus Robinson |
| 5 | Byron Pringle |
Last go around, I had undrafted receiver Maurice Ffrench making the roster. He was my roster casualty with the addition of Matt Moore. This wasn’t a tough decision to make because as I mentioned in our introduction, the Chiefs will have the ability to elevate two players from the practice squad on game day. It’s possible that the NFL allows even more players to be elevated when they finalize coronavirus protocols.
I think Byron Pringle is someone who can play return specialist alongside Mecole Hardman if they’re facing a week where they don’t elevate a player who can play that position. At the end of the day, it was this group of five that got Kansas City to the finish line in 2019.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Tight end (3):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Travis Kelce |
| 2 | Deon Yelder |
| 3 | Ricky Seals-Jones |
I moved Deon Yelder up on the depth because of his experience in the system. I like his chances to make the roster as a blocker, but he’s also a sneaky good athlete who can catch the ball too. He didn’t get much action last season, besides playing on special teams and a few splashy plays in the Lions game.
The team needs to find someone to replace Blake Bell because the team lined up in 12 personnel (two tight ends on the field) on over 30 percent of their offensive snaps in 2019. That number is which is good for the fourth-most in the NFL.
It’s going to be an interesting battle throughout training camp because guys like Nick Keizer and John Lovett are also both really good options who can block. They’re not going to go down without a fight either.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Offensive line (9):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Eric Fisher |
| 2 | Martinas Rankin |
| 3 | Austin Reiter |
| 4 | Laurent Duvernay-Tardif |
| 5 | Mitchell Schwartz |
| 6 | Andrew Wylie |
| 7 | Nick Allegretti |
| 8 | Mike Remmers |
| 9 | Lucas Niang |
I shaved an offensive lineman off of this group. I think this could be a year where the Chiefs carry fewer than 10 offensive linemen. There is a provision in the new CBA that allows for teams to keep an extra offensive lineman available if one is knocked out of the game.
For now, I have Martinas Rankin penciled in as the starter at left guard. I tried to get Eric Fisher to give me a hint about who he might play next to this season, but he didn’t have any clear indication ahead of training camp. He did have effusive praise for Stefen Wisniewski and specifically mentioned the fact that he was a veteran. That leads me to believe that we might be underrating the possibility that Mike Remmers steps in and plays left guard for the Chiefs this season.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Defensive tackle (5):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Chris Jones |
| 2 | Derrick Nnadi |
| 3 | Mike Pennel |
| 4 | Khalen Saunders |
| 5 | Tershawn Wharton |
There aren’t any holdout fears for Chris Jones anymore after he signed a four-year extension with Kansas City. Even after that news broke, I was thinking about supplementing this group with another defensive tackle. When they ran into injury troubles at this position in 2019, they struggled to find someone who could produce interior pressure like Jones did.
After hearing a bit about the player from the guy who has trained him the past two seasons, I did a bit more background on Tershawn Wharton and I’m seriously impressed. From a physical standpoint, he’s built like a guy who has been in the league for several years and not your average undrafted free agent. If he can get into the playbook and compete against the guys in training camp — remember he played for Missouri S&T — he could be a bigtime surprise to make the roster. You’ll see on the next page that he’s already impressed Brendan Daly, along with another defensive lineman.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Defensive end (5):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Frank Clark |
| 2 | Alex Okafor |
| 3 | Tanoh Kpassagnon |
| 4 | Breeland Speaks |
| 5 | Mike Danna |
After Breeland Speaks was spotted flaunting a svelte physique ahead of training camp, I tend to think I wasn’t giving him a good enough chance to make this team. He knows that this is a big year for him and that there will be a lot of competition to make this roster. He’s shown motivation to start the season off better than he did last year.
You’ll notice that I left off former first-round pick Taco Charlton in favor of 2020 fifth-round pick Mike Danna. It’s a bit of a roster crunch at this point and I’ve heard more favorable things out of Brendan Daly when it comes to Danna so far.
“Both Mike (Danna) and Tershawn Wharton have been fantastic in that setting,” Daly said of individual meetings. “I’ve really been impressed by those two guys, most specifically in their work ethic and the time they’re putting in on their own when we’re not actually engaged on a call. That’s been one of the most impressive elements for those two guys.”
This is going to be a tough group to cut down no matter how you shake it. You’d like to keep Charlton because of the potential of collecting a compensatory pick next season, but I’m not sure who you cut in order to keep him.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Linebacker (5):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Anthony Hitchens |
| 2 | Damien Wilson |
| 3 | Willie Gay Jr. |
| 4 | Ben Niemann |
| 5 | Dorian O’Daniel |
I’m flip-flopping on this group. Previously I felt like Dorian O’Daniel’s day might have been numbered. Here is what LB coach Matt House said about him this offseason:
“I think it’s not only important in his third year that he continues to grow and develop but it’s also the second year within our scheme. So there’s going to be less of a learning curve coming back out on the practice field and when we start playing games for him than there was last year. Last year, that’s the one thing, it was his second year in the league but it was his first within the scheme. . . I’m excited about Dorian. He’s really embraced these meetings and he’s been very, very active and worked hard, so I’m excited to see how it transpires on the field.”
He’ll get one more shot this year and I think at the end of the day the Chiefs will keep him around over someone like Darius Harris or a UDFA because he’s had more time in the system and on special teams.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Cornerback (6):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Charvarius Ward |
| 2 | Bashaud Breeland |
| 3 | Rashad Fenton |
| 4 | L’Jarius Sneed |
| 5 | Antonio Hamilton |
| 6 | BoPete Keyes |
Bashaud Breeland is facing a four-game suspension to start the season. The biggest question heading into training camp at this position group is in regards to who will fill in for Breeland. After the 2019 season, it feels like the job is Rashad Fenton’s to lose. He’ll be competing with a bunch of rookies and a free agent signing who has mainly played special teams during his career.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Safety (4):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Tyrann Mathieu |
| 2 | Juan Thornhill |
| 3 | Daniel Sorensen |
| 4 | Armani Watts |
Not much has changed about this group, but really this all depends on the health of Juan Thornhill, who tore his ACL in Week 17 of the 2019 season. We’ll likely soon find out about how far along he is in his recovery. If he starts the season off on the PUP, look for someone like Andrew Soroh to potentially take his roster spot for the time being.
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S | ST
Special Teams (3):
| Depth | Player |
| 1 | Harrison Butker |
| 2 | Tommy Townsend |
| 3 | James Winchester |
We’ve seen every indication that undrafted free agent punter Tommy Townsend will be the guy to replace 15-year veteran punter Dustin Colquitt in Kansas City. One of the things he has going for him is that he was also the holder for Florida too — a role that Colquitt filled for the Chiefs. He’ll have some competition from Tyler Newsome, who was signed by the Chiefs in free agency. I anticipate Townsend winning the job and perhaps doing so early on in training camp.
