KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After the draft, I took a stab at the 53-player offensive and defensive rosters the Kansas City Chiefs would take into the regular season. Now, armed with the knowledge gained through the Chiefs’ 13 offseason practices, here is a revised prediction.
Quarterback (3): Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray. No change from the last time. This is not a difficult prediction to make. These are the only three healthy quarterbacks on the roster.
Running back (4): Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis, Cyrus Gray, Anthony Sherman. I’ve moved De’Anthony Thomas to wide receiver, where he probably should have been all along. I don’t see the Chiefs keeping five backs, not with Charles and Davis getting almost all of the work as the featured backs. One issue to watch is the health of Gray, who didn’t practice during the offseason because he is rehabbing from a torn ACL. Even if Gray is ready to go when camp starts, he could face a strong challenge for the final spot from Charcandrick West.
Tight end (3): Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris, James O'Shaughnessy. A fifth-round draft pick, O’Shaughnessy looked like he belongs during the offseason, so I’m going with him over Richard Gordon as the third tight end. Harris recently had a second surgery to repair a broken foot. The Chiefs might try to add a tight end if he isn’t ready to go for camp.
Wide receiver (6): Jeremy Maclin, Albert Wilson, Jason Avant, Chris Conley, Frankie Hammond Jr., De’Anthony Thomas. The Chiefs recently made what qualifies as a big move here when they released the talented Da’Rick Rogers. I had him making the roster in my previous prediction. Rogers didn’t show much during offseason practice but it’s still surprising the Chiefs didn’t give him more of a chance. While I’m not predicting it, the Chiefs may opt to keep seven players here. Junior Hemingway, who gives the Chiefs a strong special-teams presence, or undrafted rookie Kenny Cook are possibilities.
Offensive line (9): Eric Fisher, Ben Grubbs, Eric Kush, Paul Fanaika, Donald Stephenson, Jeff Allen, Mitch Morse, Zach Fulton, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. At this point, I don’t see the Chiefs parting with any of these players. All except Fanaika received work with the starters during offseason practice, though that isn’t necessarily the best gauge for the Chiefs’ intentions. Another possibility is a trade. Someone like Allen or Stephenson might be attractive to another team. The Chiefs might be willing to part with either player if he doesn’t win a starting spot. Each is headed into the final season of his contract.
Defensive line (6): Mike DeVito, Dontari Poe, Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard, Mike Catapano, Rakeem Nunez-Roches. I didn’t make any changes from the last time, but the Chiefs have yet to put on the pads. That will happen at training camp, so one or more of their other players can make a move.
Linebacker (9): Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Josh Mauga, Ramik Wilson, D.J. Alexander, Dee Ford, Frank Zombo, Josh Martin. Let’s see what happens with Houston, who is unsigned. If he doesn’t sign his one-year contract offer or agree to a long-term deal, he won’t be at training camp.
Defensive back (10): Sean Smith, Marcus Peters, Ron Parker, Husain Abdullah, Jamell Fleming, Phillip Gaines, Steven Nelson, Tyvon Branch, Kelcie McCray, Sanders Commings. The Chiefs face some interesting decisions at these positions. A trade is a possibility here. Otherwise, it’s likely that one or more players they cut here will play for other teams. I added Commings since my last prediction. The Chiefs should hang on to him, if he’s finally healthy, to give him a chance. I kept him as the final safety over Daniel Sorensen, but that could change. At corner, I again left off cornerback Marcus Cooper, but he still has a chance.
Specialists (3): Cairo Santos, Dustin Colquitt, James Winchester. The only intrigue is whether Winchester can earn the long snapper’s job over undrafted rookie Andrew East.