The Three Biggest Questions Facing the Chiefs After Setting the 53-Man Roster

The Kansas City Chiefs have set their initial 53-man roster, made a pair of waiver claims and started to build out their practice squad for the 2026 season. That process has provided a lot of answers to questions that have been percolating throughout the offseason, but there's still much more to learn.

As focus turns toward KC's Week 1 showdown against the Denver Broncos, here are the three roster questions I'm still asking as the dust settles around the league.

1. Which running back is ready to protect Patrick Mahomes?

The biggest surprise of the Chiefs' roster cuts came at the running back position when the team opted to waive Emari Demercado. Even as Demercado got some late-game preseason action, I was convinced that he held a necessary spot as the team's best pass-protecting running back behind Kenneth Walker.

Now, with Demercado claimed by the Dallas Cowboys, the Chiefs have just three running backs on the 53-man roster. Walker is the clear No. 1, and I was encouraged by fifth-round rookie Emmett Johnson and second-year seventh-round pick Brashard Smith throughout the preseason, but neither of those young backs have yet seen meaningful tests from NFL blitzers.

Perhaps Johnson and Smith showed so much promise in training camp that the Chiefs were comfortable parting with Demercado. Less than two weeks ago, running backs coach DeMarco Murray specifically highlighted Smith's improvements as a blocker.

"The whole room has been really good [in pass protection], but [Smith] is one of the guys for me that I've been the most proud of for taking that next step," Murray said. "Knowing that this is a big responsibility. We have the best quarterback, we have to keep him clean."

"I think for [Brashard], he wanted to take that next step in his game," he continued. "He's good with the ball in his hands, he's good running routes, but he knew he had to grow in the protection game and understanding football. I'm proud of him for that."

2. Who will be KC's third tight end, and will it matter?

The Chiefs chose to keep four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster, and all four remained on the squad after the team shuffled through waiver claims and corresponding moves on Monday.

Travis Kelce is obviously the leader of the tight end room, with Noah Gray as the No. 2 following a quiet 2025 season. Behind them, the Chiefs kept both 2024 fourth-round pick Jared Wiley and 2025 UDFA Jake Briningstool.

Wiley has just two catches in the NFL, while Briningstool hasn't yet played in a regular season game. That's not much to go off of, but that leads to the second part of this question.

Last season, Kelce played 902 offensive snaps while Gray played 545. In recent years, Kelce has ended up in the neighborhood of an 80% snap share, while Gray hovers just over 50%. Last year, Robert Tonyan took 133 offensive snaps, while Wiley saw 28. Each player had just one catch in 2025.

Tonyan brought more value than Wiley as a blocker, but Briningstool also doesn't exactly fit the mold of former Chiefs tight ends like Blake Bell or Jason Dunn. It appears that Briningstool is getting the opportunity to develop in what should be his first healthy season, but if the Chiefs want to give Kelce a slightly lighter workload and prepare for the future in what could effectively be a contract year for Gray, a step forward from either Wiley or Briningstool would certainly be helpful.

3. How will the youth movement materialize?

After initial 53-man rosters were set on Sunday, the Chiefs had the third-youngest roster in the NFL according to Spotrac, and that was before adding two undrafted rookies—defensive tackle Bryson Eason and edge defender Jack Pyburn—off waivers on Monday.

Including Eason and Pyburn, the Chiefs now have 12 rookies on the 53-man roster. I expect five of those players to play significant roles this season, while the rest could be one or two injuries away from a serious workload in 2026.

A youth movement is an excellent thing for improving the long-term health of a roster for seasons to come, but it can bring growing pains at the beginning. Still, I see the Chiefs having plenty of veteran starters at the top of the depth chart, which should allow some of the younger developmental players to come along at a reasonable pace before potentially earning more reps next season.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google