The Kansas City Chiefs get to play two more preseason games before they have to make their first round of mandatory roster cuts, so perhaps things will change before they trim their roster from the current 90 players to 75 and, eventually, 53.
But it appears, at least at this point, that the Chiefs will be getting rid of some players who they might be playing against at some point down the road.
“I think that’s going to happen where we’re going to end up letting guys go probably for the first time ... that are going to make another club or have the opportunity to,” coach Andy Reid said.
“Sometimes they get lost on the [offensive and defensive] lines. You get some young guys and they’re doing OK, but they’re doing it on the O and D line, where people aren’t watching. I think we have some skill kids that are young and playing pretty good, so that jumps out at you more than if they’re big fellows.”
The Chiefs have some younger receivers playing well, but also linebackers and defensive backs. Those are positions where the Chiefs might cut players they’d rather keep.
That’s a good problem for a team to have. The Chiefs had such little depth when Reid arrived in 2013, they claimed seven players off waivers from other teams at the start of the regular season.
At receiver, Fred Williams, a former Arena League player, was having a solid training camp even before leading the Chiefs with six catches and scoring a touchdown in last week’s preseason game against Arizona. Two other young receivers, Frankie Hammond Jr. and rookie Da'Ron Brown, each caught a touchdown pass against the Cardinals.
The Chiefs already have at wide receiver starters Jeremy Maclin and Albert Wilson, slot receivers De'Anthony Thomas and Jason Avant as well as rookie Chris Conley. That probably leaves only one spot for Williams, Hammond or Brown.
At linebacker, fourth-round draft pick Ramik Wilson and undrafted rookie Justin March and 26-year-old Dezman Moses played well in camp and against Arizona. March is now injured and the Chiefs could stash him for a year.
The Chiefs otherwise at linebacker have Justin Houston, Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson, last year’s first-round pick Dee Ford and other players they like, including special-teams star Josh Martin. Wilson and Moses are playing well enough that the Chiefs will probably keep both, perhaps at the expense of fifth-round draft pick D.J. Alexander or veteran backup Frank Zombo.
In their secondary, the Chiefs expected first-round draft Marcus Peters to play well, and he has. Because they have Peters and third-round draft pick Steven Nelson, the Chiefs could be comfortable releasing Marcus Cooper, who would probably catch on with another team.
“Not everybody can make the team,” Reid said. “We tell them the first day, ‘Make it as hard on us as you possibly can.’ I think this year there are going to be some tough choices.”
