Four Chiefs With the Most on the Line in the Preseason
For a player such as Travis Kelce, there's very little to prove in the preseason. The Kansas City Chiefs' coaches, fans, and the organization in general know what Kelce will bring on and off the field. As such, his snaps in the preseason mean virtually nothing for his standing on the roster.
Taking a step down from the level of Kelce, even a player like Frank Clark has little on the line. While Clark has been disappointing so far in his Chiefs career, he will be a starting edge rusher no matter how he plays in one drive against the Chicago Bears.
To find players on the Chiefs' roster with plenty to play for, one has to peer down the depth chart a bit. There are a handful of players sitting on the bubble with a lot on the line for each snap, drive, half they play in the preseason before the team cuts down from 90 to 53 players.
Ronald Jones, RB
The feeling around Ronald Jones has not been trending positively for a few weeks now.
When Jones signed with the Chiefs in free agency, it seemed locked in that he would have a role behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire despite his limitations in the passing game as a receiver and blocker. It now seems that those limitations could see Jones jettisoned from the roster entirely.
Jones will be fighting for his spot in every single game this preseason, trying to hold off the likes of Jerick McKinnon and seventh-round draft pick and training camp darling Isiah Pacheco. If Jones doesn't beat out either of those backup running backs and the Chiefs opt to carry only three on the roster, that would leave Jones on the streets.
For Jones to make the roster, he's going to have to seriously impress as a runner or show unprecedented growth as a receiver and blocker. The former is possible, while the latter doesn't seem so considering his career to this point.
Josh Gordon, WR
Despite playing 219 offensive snaps during the 2021 season for the Chiefs, Josh Gordon only recorded 5 receptions for 32 yards.
Despite bringing Gordon back, the Chiefs invested very little to do so — extending a futures contract to Gordon at the beginning of the season. The 31-year-old is very much on thin ice right now.
What is working against Gordon is simply that he does not play special teams. Gordon has only recorded five special teams snaps over the course of his whole career. With the first four wide receiver roster spots locked in, will the Chiefs want to roster a wideout at the bottom of the depth chart who doesn't play special teams?
This lack of special teams acumen is especially concerning, as the Chiefs have wide receivers pushing Gordon such as Daurice Fountain, Cornell Powell and Justin Watson who can and will play on special teams.
The only way Gordon can make the Chiefs' final roster is if he plays incredibly at wide receiver in the preseason so he forces their hand to keep him. It's either that or he excels on special teams, an aspect of football he has never really played.
Joshua Kaindoh, DE
Is it too early to say Kaindoh’s future with the Chiefs is hanging in the balance? The late fourth-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft played 46 total snaps for the team last year and was put on injured reserve as the team headed into the playoffs.
The expectation was always that Kaindoh needed time to develop as the former five-star high school recruit was a “ball of clay” type of prospect. Heading into Kaindoh’s second year, though, the numbers might just not work out.
There are already four locked-in defensive ends on the Chiefs roster: Clark, George Karlaftis, Carlos Dunlap and Mike Danna. Last year, the Chiefs rostered five defensive ends. If that pattern holds, there's one defensive spot up for grabs.
The issue for Kaindoh is that, so far, Malik Herring has gotten more buzz than him. In fact, Kaindoh has had almost no buzz at all thus far in camp. If Kaindoh wants to make the final 53-man roster and get some snaps in the regular season to prove himself, he first needs to make the most of the snaps he gets in the preseason.
Khalen Saunders, DT
Khalen Saunders, the uber-athletic big man from the 2019 draft, seems to be on his last gasp with the Chiefs.
Saunders was a player the Chiefs had to develop, coming from a smaller college and looking pretty raw on tape, but his athleticism enticed them back in 2019. Now, in Saunders’s fourth year with the team, the potential has just not materialized.
Saunders has only played in 22 games the past three years for the Chiefs, which includes 12 games in his rookie year. Whatever is going on behind the scenes with him and his performance has not turned into playing time. Injuries have also played a role.
With the Chiefs having three locked-in starters at defensive tackle in Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton, Saunders is fighting for that last spot. The club brought in Taylor Stallworth and Danny Shelton to compete too, though, so Saunders has as much competition as he has ever seen for that spot. In order to make the roster, Saunders needs to show that he has the chops for every single snap he plays.
Whether it be journeyman veterans or young, underperforming draftees alike, the combination of Jones, Gordon, Kaindoh and Saunders has to make the most of its snaps in the preseason. That starts against the Chicago Bears this weekend. For them, every snap will count if they want to stay on the Chiefs' roster and maybe in the NFL overall.
It is time to put up or get cut.
