KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs open the 2022 NFL regular season at the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 11.
They will be eager to get back to training camp after the bitter way in which last season ended, with the Chiefs wasting a 21-3 lead against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game and losing in overtime.
The Chiefs have a lot to sort through at training camp. They traded one prominent veteran, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and declined to re-sign another, safety Tyrann Mathieu. They replenished in many spots through the draft. The Chiefs drafted 10 players, including cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis in the first round.
Here's a 53-man roster projection heading into the summer break:
QUARTERBACK (2): Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne
The Chiefs may choose to retain developmental quarterback Shane Buechele, though the practice squad seems a more likely destination. Mahomes said during offseason practice that he was far ahead physically of where he was at the same time last year, when he was rehabbing from surgery for a turf toe.
RUNNING BACK (5): Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Isaih Pacheco, Michael Burton (FB)
This is a crowded position but the Chiefs have needed to dig deep into their depth chart for help in recent seasons. Edwards-Helaire will be RB1 to begin with but he missed significant time with injuries in each of the past two seasons. Fullbacks don't play a lot in Andy Reid's offensive system, so Burton's main value will come on special teams.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Daurice Fountain
The top four seem set and it's difficult to see a place for Josh Gordon if he doesn't earn a lot of playing time because he doesn't help on special teams. That's why I went with Fountain as the spare receiver. But the Chiefs have many candidates to consider during training camp and the preseason.
TIGHT END (4): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Jody Fortson, Noah Gray
The Chiefs can afford to go heavy here if they keep only five wide receivers. As much as Reid likes multiple tight end formations, all four players could get significant playing time. We already know Kelce will.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Andrew Wylie, Darian Kinnard, Geron Christian, Nick Allegretti, Austin Reiter
The immediate issue is whether the Chiefs can sign Brown, their franchise player, before the July 15 deadline. If not, would Brown hold out rather than accept the only offer he could at that point, the Chiefs' one-year tender worth about $16.6 million?
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8): Frank Clark, George Karlaftis, Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Mike Danna, Josh Kaindoh, Tershawn Wharton, Taylor Stallworth
The Chiefs failed to re-sign Melvin Ingram so if their pass rush is to progress from being 29th in sacks as it was last season they need someone to provide Jones with consistent help. That could be Karlaftis, a first-round draft pick, or Clark.
LINEBACKER (6): Nick Bolton, Willie Gay, Elijah Lee, Jermaine Carter, Leo Chenal, Darius Harris
The Chiefs released Anthony Hitchens, their leader in playing time at these positions the last four seasons. Bolton and Gay will claim most of the snaps this season.
CORNERBACK (6): Trent McDuffie, L'Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton, DeAndre Baker, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams
Three of these players are rookies, including McDuffie, a first-round draft pick who will be a starter. So the Chiefs may opt for more experience in a player like Lonnie Johnson instead.
SAFETY (5): Justin Reid, Juan Thornhill, Bryan Cook, Deon Bush, Nazeeh Johnson
This group, other than Thornhill, is new to the Chiefs. It also includes two rookies, Cook and Johnson. The Chiefs may be looking for veteran help depending on what they see in camp.
SPECIALIST (3): Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, James Winchester
The Chiefs will go into their third straight season with the same kicker, punter and long snapper. They had no competition for any of them in their offseason work.