Chiefs 53-Man Roster Projection 1.0: Bubble Watch Before Training Camp

The smell of football is in the thick summer air, which is good news for Kansas City Chiefs fans. Head coach Andy Reid's crew is off and running at 2026 training camp, providing plenty of players with avenues to partake in some healthy competition.

Could said competition lead to shakeups on the depth chart? There are still jobs up for grabs as the calendar soon flips from July to August, and full-squad camp sees those efforts ramp up in a big way.

Things can — and likely will — change between now and August 30 at 6 p.m. ET, which could reflect in who makes it from the 90-man offseason group to the regular-season one. With that in mind, let's take a crack at projecting the Chiefs' eventual 53-man roster.

Chiefs Roster Projection 1.0: Offense

The offensive side of the ball contains many familiar names as expected starters, but there are some newcomers who could factor into the roster math around quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Quarterback (3)

Starter: Patrick Mahomes
Depth: Justin Fields, Garrett Nussmeier
Practice squad/outside looking in: Chris Oladokun

Mahomes, like he has multiple times in the past, appears to be ahead of schedule following an injury. Regardless of whether he'll be 100% for Week 1, which most do expect, he'll avoid going on the physically unable to perform list barring any setbacks. Fields, traded for during the offseason, backs him up.

Nussmeier may have been the "last in" for us in this exercise. Assuming everything tracks regarding medicals for the 2026 seventh-round pick, it's hard to envision another team not potentially being intrugued enough to claim him on waivers. The risk of losing him could keep Kansas City from cutting him. —Foote

Running back (4)

Starter: Kenneth Walker III
Depth: Emari Demercado, Emmett Johnson, Brashard Smith
Practice squad/outside looking in: EJ Smith, Jadyn Ott

There's no doubt about the Chiefs' top three runners; Walker is the obvious star of the room, while Demercado and Johnson will compete for the next round of snaps. Brashard Smith never got a long look in his rookie season, while EJ Smith and Ott are both more intriguing than your average UDFAs. Brashard Smith begins camp with an edge in our projection, but there could be a legitimate battle for that fourth spot. —Brisco

Wide receiver (6)

Starter: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton
Depth: Cyrus Allen, Nikko Remigio, Jalen Royals
Practice squad/outside looking in: Jason Brownlee, Jimmy Holiday, Jeff Caldwell, Jacob De Jesus, Omari Evans, Andrew Armstrong, Xavier Loyd

Time and time again, we've gone through the same song and dance with the K.C. wideout room. It's a top-heavy unit that needs Rice to stay on the field, Worthy to improve significantly after a down year and Thornton to show that 2025 wasn't a fluke. Got it?

The next three players don't seem to have a defined hierarchy between them, but all should make the 53. Remigio is the most experienced and has special teams versatility, but Royals is just over a year removed from maintaining serious prospect buzz. Allen, a Day 3 rookie, is the X-factor. —Foote

Tight end (4)

Starter: Travis Kelce
Depth: Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, Jake Briningstool
Practice squad/outside looking in: John Michael Gyllenborg, Mason Pline, Tre Watson

Kelce is the star and Gray is the experienced backup, but that's the end of any certainty at tight end. Wiley, a 2024 fourth-round pick, has two career receptions, while the rest of the room hasn't yet taken a regular season NFL snap. We think the Chiefs would be wise to keep four tight ends, but they'll need two competitors to earn those spots. —Brisco

Offensive tackle (4)

Starter: Josh Simmons, Jaylon Moore
Depth: Esa Pole, Ethan Driskell
Practice squad/outside looking in: Chukwuebuka Godrick, Kahlil Benson, Matt Waletzko

Following the departure of Jawaan Taylor, Moore steps in as the team's starting right tackle. At the end of the list, Driskell gets the slight nod over Benson based on measurables and background, but the latter feels like one of the top UDFAs in this year's Chiefs crop.

Keep an eye on Godrick, who's been on the practice squad before and has gotten a 17th player exemption in the past due to being an International Player Pathway program alum. Playing in games, as he did in 2025, doesn't cause that eligibility to default. —Foote

Interior offensive line (5)

Starter: Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith
Depth: Mike Caliendo, Hunter Nourzad
Practice squad/outside looking in: C.J. Hanson, Pete Nygra, Josh Thompson

As one of the Chiefs' most straightforward position groups, it would be a surprise to see any other configuration of interior O-linemen on the team's initial 53-man roster. Caliendo played nearly 40% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps last season as a backup guard and occasional sixth lineman, while Nourzad can play guard and would be the first man up at center if Humphery missed time. —Brisco

Chiefs Roster Projection 1.0: Defense

After an offseason filled with departures, general manager Brett Veach rebuilt Steve Spagnuolo's defense and is rolling with some unproven options. Who will stand out over the course of the preseason?

Interior defensive line (4)

Starter: Chris Jones, Khyiris Tonga
Depth: Peter Woods, Omarr Norman-Lott
Practice squad/outside looking in: Cole Brevard, Damon Payne, Amari Mitchell

Jones has some significant help this year! Tonga is the consummate run-stuffing, gap-occupying nose tackle who should shore up some run defense woes on early downs. Woods, the second first-round pick for Kansas City in April, has tons of raw ability and could benefit from being unleashed situationally as a rookie.

Norman-Lott's debut campaign is a bit of a wash after an ACL tear. He remains on the PUP list as of the publishing of this story, but the general sentiment is that he'll be removed from it in time for the regular season. He makes the cut here for the time being. —Foote

Defensive end (5)

Starter: George Karlaftis, Ashton Gillotte
Depth: R Mason Thomas, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Vincent Anthony
Practice squad/outside looking in: Ethan Downs, Tyreke Smith, Anthony Dunn

There's room for competition at defensive end. Karlaftis, Gillotte and Thomas are the obvious top trio, but Anudike-Uzomah can't just coast to a backup role. Meanwhile, Anthony or another of the edge defenders can earn a roster spot without needing an outrageous camp.

As much as any other position on the roster, this group is dependent on potential. With at least one and possibly two spots open to be won, this will be one of the team's most intruiging camp battles. —Brisco

Linebacker (5)

Starter: Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Cooper McDonald
Depth: Jeffrey Bassa, Jack Cochrane
Practice squad/outside looking in: Cole Christiansen, Wesley Bissainthe, Kam Arnold

Leo Chenal no longer being a Chief means a new SAM linebacker is in the cards. It probably isn't Tranquill shifting over, so that means one of McDonald or Bassa profiles best for the role. McDonald's bigger frame and seemingly superior run defense might give him the edge. At the end of the depth chart, Christiansen narrowly misses out but perhaps returns on the practice squad. —Foote

Cornerback (6)

Starter: Mansoor Delane, Nohl Williams, Kader Kohou
Depth: Kristian Fulton, L'Jarius Sneed, Jadon Canady
Practice squad/outside looking in: Kaiir Elam, Kevin Knowles, Melvin Smith, Bryce Phillips, D'Arco Perkins-McAllister, Zelmar Vedder

The Chiefs completely overhauled their cornerback position this offseason, for better or for worse. Delane, Williams and Canady are locks to make the roster, but Delane is the only corner who begins camp virtually guaranteed a starting spot.

Williams and Fulton could have a real competition for the No. 2 corner spot, potentially accounting for Sneed as well, while Kohou, Sneed, Canady and listed-as-a-safety Chris Roland-Wallace could all be in the mix in the slot. Elam and Knowles would be easy practice squad additions, but they've both shown enough to argue that they belong on someone's 53-man roster. —Brisco

Safety (4)

Starter: Alohi Gilman, Chamarri Conner
Depth: Jaden Hicks, Chris Roland-Wallace
Practice squad/outside looking in: Xavier Nwankpa, DeShon Singleton, Tanner McCalister

The Gilman-Conner duo seems like a fairly safe bet to start, especially with the former being signed to a multiyear deal during the offseason. Hicks is one of the more fascinating players on the offseason roster, as his rookie year saw him flash upside, only for him to regress in 2025.

Roland-Wallace, as Brisco mentioned, could factor into the nickel role if needed. He's qualified for it and appears to be a favorite of Spagnuolo's. It was very difficult to not get Nwankpa in this group, although it might take a near-perfect camp and preseason for the Iowa product to force the team's hand. —Foote

Chiefs Roster Projection 1.0: Specialists (3)

Kicker: Harrison Butker
Punter: Matt Araiza
Long snapper: James Winchester

No competitions, no problem. While this is an important season for Butker in particular, this will be the trio of specialists in Week 1 as long as everyone stays healthy. —Brisco

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