Kansas City Chiefs have set their initial 53-player roster. Here’s who made the cut
The Kansas City Chiefs officially established their initial 53-player roster for the 2022 regular season Tuesday.
While the Chiefs met Tuesday’s league-wide deadline, it remains important to remember that this roster is considered fluid from here throughout the rest of the season.
Changes can and will happen, even before the Chiefs take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. Additionally, multiple players waived by the Chiefs over the past week could return to the team’s 16-player practice squad, which can be established starting Wednesday, after the league’s waiver process ends.
Of note, nine of the Chiefs’ 10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft made it through roster cut-down day. The lone exception is safety Nazeeh Johnson, who could return on the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Here is the Chiefs’ initial 53-player roster, which breaks down as 26 on offense, 24 on defense and three specialists:
QUARTERBACK (3): Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, Shane Buechele
The Chiefs elected to go with three signal-callers. Henne and Buechele, who had a strong preseason, are the primary backups to Mahomes.
RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACK (5): Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, Ronald Jones, Michael Burton
Jones found himself on the bubble entering the final preseason game but played well to earn a roster spot. The Chiefs have a deep stable at the running back position, and each player provides a different skill set to complement others.
Burton is the lone fullback on the roster.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson
The Chiefs only keeping five wide receivers is a surprise, but this left Daurice Fountain as the odd man out.
Second-year pro Cornell Powell is once again on the outside looking in, but he should be back on the practice squad.
TIGHT ENDS (4): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray, Jody Fortson
Bell’s listing on the roster is procedural because the Chiefs plan to place on him injured reserve, which gives him a minimum of four more weeks to recover from recent hip surgery, as The Star previously reported.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Andrew Wylie, Nick Allegretti, Geron Christian, Prince Tega Wanogho, Darian Kinnard
There was no doubt with the starting five of Brown, Thuney, Humphrey, Smith and Wylie.
Allegretti provides flexibility to play center and guard, while Christian and Tega Wanogho are the all-important swing tackles.
Kinnard, the Chiefs’ fifth-round pick in 2022, is a surprise, but he managed to survive the initial roster moves after not standing out in training camp.
Center Austin Reiter, rookie guard Mike Caliendo and rookie tackle Vitaliy Gurman are candidates to return to the practice squad.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES (4): Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton, Khalen Saunders
The Chiefs electing to keep four interior defensive linemen meant there was no room for veteran Danny Shelton.
DEFENSIVE ENDS (6): Frank Clark, George Karlaftis, Carlos Dunlap, Mike Danna, Joshua Kaindoh, Malik Herring
Herring, a promising pass rusher, played his way to the initial 53-player roster with a strong straining camp. The Chiefs need Herring to get healthy, though, as he’s currently dealing with an oblique strain suffered in the preseason finale.
Look for the Chiefs to bring back Kehinde Oginni Hassan on the practice squad. Former Kansas Jayhawk Azur Kamara is also a candidate for the practice squad.
LINEBACKERS (4): Nick Bolton, Willie Gay Jr., Leo Chenal, Darius Harris
On paper, the Chiefs lack depth at the linebacker position. But this will be addressed after the Chiefs place tight end Blake Bell on injured reserve.
As previously reported, the Chiefs plan on re-signing Elijah Lee, who was released Tuesday as a vested veteran, to the active roster as a corresponding move to Bell’s landing on injured reserve.
Jermaine Carter and rookie Jack Cochrane are candidates to join the practice squad.
CORNERBACKS (6): L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Rashad Fenton, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Chris Lammons
The Chiefs are set to roll with three rookie cornerbacks in McDuffie, Williams and Watson.
This group, while young, is deep with talent.
SAFETIES (4): Justin Reid, Juan Thornhill, Bryan Cook, Deon Bush
This quartet was solidified as early as organized team activities (OTAs), so there are no surprises here.
