KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Roster cutdown day is a brutal exercise for NFL players and coaches alike.
More than 40% of players who’ve worked hard throughout the offseason and training camp to chase a pro-football dream get released or waived.
It’s agonizing for the coaches who’ve pushed and cajoled those very players for months only to say goodbye abruptly, but that’s the nature of the NFL.
The flip side, of course, is the joy when a player makes an NFL roster, earning a stamp of approval from Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid in the quest for a Super Bowl repeat.
We covered the tough stuff yesterday as the Chiefs complied with the 3 p.m. deadline to pare the roster to 53 players.
Now, let’s analyze who’s left:
DEPTH CONCERNS ON OFFENSE: Running back and tight end
There’s no qualm with the trio of players the Chiefs kept at running back and tight end, but that makes both positions a priority for the practice squad for insurance against injury, if nothing else.
Kansas City will use all six players at these two positions plenty, so it will be critical to have the next man up close to home.
DEPTH CONCERNS ON DEFENSE: Cornerback
Yes, the pass rush could use some help, but there’s little GM Brett Veach can do with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones locked in a stalemate with the Chiefs over a new contract.
Had Jones signed an extension that bought down his more than $28-million price tag against the salary cap for the upcoming season, Kansas City may have had the freedom to plug a hole up front.
Without it, they did the best they could with the guys they’ve got.
But two of the five cornerbacks the Chiefs kept, veteran L’Jarius Sneed (knee) and rookie seventh-round pick Nic Jones (hand), have missed the last few weeks of practice with injuries.
There’s no indication yet that either might miss the Sept. 7 season opener against Detroit, a game that will air on KSHB 41, but it’s a somewhat uncomfortable situation.
BIGGEST SURPRISE ON OFFENSE: Double-digit OL
Keeping 10 offensive linemen was a surprise — not for a lack of talent, but because many assumed the Chiefs would keep a third quarterback, fourth running back or fourth tight end.
If Jody Fortson hadn’t landed on injured reserve, this decision would have been even more interesting.
Prince Tega Wanogho, who has emerged as the backup left tackle, managed to make himself indispensable and guard Mike Caliendo was a surprise inclusion.
Perhaps the fact that veteran backup guard Nick Allegretti is working back from a shoulder injury factored into the decision on Caliendo, who found a home while last season's fifth-round pick Darian Kinnard hit the waiver wire.
BIGGEST SURPRISE ON DEFENSE: Linebacker Cam Jones
Releasing Danny Shelton was a shock after he dropped weight and seemed to flash as an interior pass rusher, but Jones was a darkhorse to make the roster.
The rotational linebacker group is set and there’s already a rock-steady core special teamer in the linebacker room in Jack Cochrane.
But somebody — presumably assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Dave Toub — must have loved Jones, so he made the initial 53-man roster.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACKS (2): Patrick Mahomes and Blaine Gabbert
The Chiefs have the best quarterback in the NFL and, frankly, one of the best in league history even though he’s only been a starter for five seasons.
Gabbert brings a veteran presence, which includes moderate success as a past NFL starter. He very much has the profile of a Chad Henne or Matt Moore, so it’s no shock he was anointed as the backup.
RUNNING BACKS (3): Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire
By not keeping a fourth running back, the Chiefs signaled a high degree of comfort with Pacheco’s health moving into the season.
He was limited for most of training camp, but the sense was that it was precautionary more than necessary.
Pacheco, who played a couple snaps in the preseason finale Saturday against Cleveland, shouldn’t have any restrictions heading into the season.
McKinnon is an ideal third-down/situational back in Reid’s offense, while Edwards-Helaire, who’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, is a reliable and known commodity in a reserve role.
La’Mical Perine and/or Deneric Prince figure to return via the practice squad to provide some injury insurance. Perine outplayed Prince, who was slotted as the starting kickoff returner throughout camp, during the preseason.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Blake Bell
Bell was a candidate to be cut as a way to manipulate the roster, but he was always going to return the roster.
But Veach didn’t feel the need to play chess with Bell’s roster spot.
He’s the best blocker among the group, while Kelce is a future Hall of Famer and Gray continues to emerge as a real weapon.
WIDE RECEIVERS (7): Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Richie James, Justin Watson, Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross
After the way Ross performed during the preseason, there was little doubt he was sticking on the roster, especially with Toney’s immediate status uncertain.
Once again, the Chiefs may not have a Pro Bowler in the receiving corps, but it’s a deep group that has some chemistry with Mahomes. That should translate to production.
There may not be a 1,000-yard receiver in the bunch, but Moore, Valdes-Scantling, Toney and James are good bets to reach at least 500 yards. Ross and Rice have the talent as well, but Reid’s system is notoriously difficult for rookies to make a major impact, so the forecast for both should be tempered a bit.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Donovan Smith, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor, Prince Tega Wanogho, Mike Caliendo, Nick Allegretti, Lucas Niang and Wanya Morris
The Chiefs have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, including arguably the best interior trio in Thuney, Humphrey and Smith, but the depth is impressive, too.
Wanogho is a player who has worked hard and developed into a backup left tackle after a couple years in practice-squad limbo.
Niang also is a rock-solid backup with starting experience, while Morris provides an intriguing high-upside developmental prospect.
It was a bit of surprise the Chiefs kept all three on the initial 53-man roster, but maybe it shouldn’t have been given the talent.
Inside, Allegretti could start for several NFL teams and brings added value as a possible backup at center.
Caliendo also has experience at center, where he started as a senior at Western Michigan. His inclusion on the 53-man roster speaks highly about how Kansas City’s staff feels about the second-year player.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE ENDS (6): George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Charles Omenihu*, Malik Herring, Felix Anudike-Uzomah and BJ Thompson
* Omenihu (reserve/suspended) doesn’t count against the 53-man roster
Karlaftis closed his rookie season with a flourish, but he’ll face added pressure to put together a strong 17-game season, especially for as long as Chris Jones remains away from the team and with Omenihu suspended for the first six games.
That leaves Karlaftis as the most-proven pass rusher on the current 53-man roster. It’s no knock on “Furious George,” but that’s probably not ideal.
Jones’ holdout, which hamstrung the salary cap-strapped Chiefs, prevented a move for a veteran pass rusher, like Carlos Dunlap, so it is what it is entering the season.
Danna has been an underrated player for the Chiefs and will need to continue his emergence as a pass rusher.
If Anudike-Uzomah, a Lee’s Summit native and first-round pick from Kansas State, can replicate Karlaftis’ rookie season, which featured five-and-a-half sacks in the last seven games, I think Kansas City would be thrilled.
Thompson is a developmental pass-rush specialist, so anything he provides is icing on the cake.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES (6): Chris Jones*, Derrick Nnadi, Keondre Coburn, Tershawn Wharton, Matt Dickerson and Neil Farrell Jr.
* Jones (reserve/did not report) doesn’t count against the 53-man roster
Jones’ absence is a massive blow to the interior defensive line. There’s no way around that.
Nnadi is a run-stuffer with little upside as a pass rusher. Farrell, who the Chiefs acquired in a cutdown-day trade with Las Vegas, probably fits in the same mold primarily as a one-technique.
Wharton, who is less than a year removed from a torn ACL, brings some athleticism to the three-tech, but he’s not at Jones’ level and may need to be used sparingly early as he rebuilds his conditioning.
Dickerson, who was a surprise inclusion on the initial 53-man roster over Danny Shelton, is on the lighter side for a one-tech, but he provides some positional versatility along with Coburn.
Danna and Omenihu, when he returns, also can reduce inside to bolster the pass rush, but Kansas City’s ability to get after the QB will be diminished without Jones — and, frankly, after he comes back, because he will need time to get into “football shape.”
LINEBACKERS (6): Willie Gay, Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, Jack Cochrane and Cam Jones
You have to figure Cam Jones is “a Toub guy” who will become a core special-teams player alongside Cochrane.
Otherwise, the four-man rotation for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense — Gay, Bolton, Tranquill and Chenal — was set after the addition of Tranquill in the offseason.
CORNERBACKS (5): Trent McDuffie, L’Jarius Sneed, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson and Nic Jones
Similar to the running back situation, the numbers on the initial roster suggest the Chiefs aren’t overly concerned about the availability of Sneed or Nic Jones.
McDuffie, Williams and Watson all had strong rookie seasons a year ago and are expected to continue their upward trajectory with a newcomer, safety Chamarri Conner, pitching in at nickelback in some subpackages.
I’d expect a trio of waived cornerbacks — Dicaprio Bootle, Kahlef Hailassie and Ekow Boye-Doe — to be practice-squad priorities given the injury situation.
SAFETIES (4): Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, Mike Edwards and Chamarri Conner
The Chiefs prized Conner, a fourth-round pick in April, for his versatility. It was on display throughout training camp as he worked at safety and nickel.
Reid and Cook blend coverage and run-support skills well for Spangnuolo’s scheme and Edwards brings a veteran presence with a Super Bowl pedigree.
Deon Bush, who was released, seemingly got beat out for a 53-man roster spot by Cam Jones, but he’d be a nice veteran stash on the practice squad if he’s OK with that role.
SPECIALISTS (3): Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend and James Winchester
There were no surprises and no drama with this group, which is ideal for a team like Kansas City with championship aspirations.
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