{"id":312055,"date":"2025-08-23T20:48:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T20:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/312055\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T20:48:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T20:48:38","slug":"chiefs-roster-our-final-projection-of-2025s-initial-53-man-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/312055\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Roster: Our final projection of 2025\u2019s initial 53-man team"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> have finished their preseason with a 29-27 loss to the Chicago Bears. By 3 p.m. (Arrowhead Time) on Tuesday, they \u2014 and the rest of the NFL\u2019s teams \u2014 must have their roster down to 53 players.<\/p>\n

As always, we do our best to predict what the team will do \u2014 but it\u2019s a fool\u2019s erraad. There is almost no chance this will match the team\u2019s first 53-man roster \u2014 and it is absolutely impossible to predict what will happen in the few days after that, when just-released players start being signed to new teams.<\/p>\n

With those caveats in place\u2026 here we go.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

Quarterbacks (2): Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew<\/p>\n

No surprise here. The league\u2019s top quarterback will have his fourth backup in as many seasons. As always, it\u2019s a veteran: the journeyman Minshew. We\u2019ve liked what we\u2019ve seen from Minshew in the preseason \u2014 and also from Chris Oladokun, who is likely to once again clear waivers and do what he does best: run Kansas City\u2019s scout team as the third-string quarterback on the practice squad.<\/p>\n

Running backs (4): Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, Elijah Mitchell<\/p>\n

Pacheco is a lock. During the offseason, we\u2019ve often wondered if Hunt would prove to be too old \u2014 but he\u2019s still looked good in the preseason. Mitchell, in contrast, hasn\u2019t shown us very much, but has a veteran\u2019s body of work. Then there\u2019s Smith, who looks like the gadget player head coach Andy Reid\u2019s Chiefs always manage to find. (But for what it\u2019s worth, he might be the best one yet).<\/p>\n

The odd man out appears to be Carson Steele. He had his moments during the 2024 preseason \u2014 and in a perfect world, Reid (and special teams coordinator Dave Toub) would probably like to keep him on the 53. But there are too many roster needs elsewhere \u2014 and Steele would probably clear waivers, allowing the team to keep him on the practice squad.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t promise, however, that this will be the group that travels to Brazil in Week 1. It\u2019s not hard to imagine that the Chiefs will find a recently-released running back to take Mitchell\u2019s place.<\/p>\n

Wide receivers (6): Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio<\/p>\n

For most of the offseason, we\u2019ve assumed that Rice would begin the season serving a suspension. But unless that situation is resolved in the next 48 hours, he\u2019s going to be leading the wide receiver group. Worthy and Brown are locks behind him.<\/p>\n

Some would let go of Smith-Schuster, but we won\u2019t. We might never have predicted it during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he\u2019s now the room\u2019s steady, veteran hand. We think Kansas City will keep him.<\/p>\n

Then the Chiefs have a difficult choice to make between Thornton, Remigio and rookie Jalen Royals. All can fill important roles. None would probably survive the waiver wire. So Kansas City chooses to put off that decision by placing Royals \u2014 who was held out of Friday\u2019s game with a knee injury \u2014 on its Reserve\/Injured list, identifying him as being eligible for a return designation. That allows the team to bring him back at any time after Game 4 \u2014 which might be about the time Rice begins serving his suspension.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Chiefs will hope Jason Brownlee clears waivers. They\u2019d love to keep him on the practice squad.<\/p>\n

Tight ends (4): Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Robert Tonyan, Jared Wiley<\/p>\n

Kelce and Gray are, of course, locks. Wearing an NFL uniform for what might be his last season, Tonyan will be the third man. The team will need both Wiley and rookie UDFA Jake Briningstool for the coming post-Kelce evolution. Wiley probably wouldn\u2019t clear waivers, but Briningstool can spend the season on the team\u2019s Reserve\/Injured list \u2014 or as it is sometimes known, the Redshirt\/Injured list.<\/p>\n

Offensive line (9): LT Josh Simmons, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor, Jaylon Moore, Hunter Nourzad, Mike Caliendo, Wanya Morris<\/p>\n

For better or worse, the team is beginning the season with Suamataia at left guard \u2014 and Taylor at right tackle. Rather than take either of those positions, Moore will serve as the Cam Erving Memorial Highly Paid Swing Tackle. He\u2019ll be ready to step in if things go south on either side \u2014 and take over for Taylor in 2026. Morris becomes the other backup tackle, while Nourzad and Caliendo will be ready for the interior positions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Defensive tackles (4): Chris Jones, Omarr Norman-Lott, Mike Pennel, Jerry Tillery<\/p>\n

Previously, we wondered if a player like Marlon Tuipulotu or Fabien Lovett might replace either Pennel or Tillery. But we see no evidence that this is on the horizon.<\/p>\n

Defensive ends (5): George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu, Mike Danna, Ashton Gillotte, Malik Herring<\/p>\n

We expect the team will not label Felix Anudike-Uzomah as eligible for a return designation from IR, confirming that his hamstring injury will make him miss the whole season. That\u2019s terrible news for the former first-round pick, but excellent news for Herring. The undrafted free agent out of Georgia begins his fifth season in Kansas City.<\/p>\n

Linebackers (6): Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, Jeff Bassa, Cam Jones, Cooper McDonald<\/p>\n

Bolton, Tranquill and Chenal\u2026 then who? The team loves its shiny new rookie Bassa, so he\u2019s making the team. Cam Jones is well-established on special teams. We believe the Chiefs won\u2019t want to expose McDonald to the waiver wire, so they\u2019ll do the same thing they did with the wide receivers: Jack Cochrane will go on short-term IR with his knee injury (he also didn\u2019t play on Friday night) so McDonald can make the initial 53. When it\u2019s time for Cochrane to come back, the team will re-evaluate the situation.<\/p>\n

Cornerbacks (6): Trent McDuffie, Kristian Fulton, Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson, Chris Roland-Wallace, Nohl Williams<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been worried about Fulton, but he played pretty well in the final preseason game. He will join McDuffie and Watson as the top corners. Spagnuolo still loves Johnson, Roland-Wallace hangs on to his 2024 roster spot and the rookie Nohl Williams climbs aboard.<\/p>\n

That leaves Joshua Williams on the outside looking in. Will he be cut on Tuesday, or will the Chiefs be able to trade him away this weekend?<\/p>\n

Safeties (4): Bryan Cook, Jaden Hicks, Chamarri Conner, Mike Edwards<\/p>\n

This group has been set ever since March. It remains so.<\/p>\n

\"KANSAS<\/a><\/p>\n

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – AUGUST 22: Place kicker Harrison Butker #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs kicks a field goal during the first quarter of the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium on August 22, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Placekicker Harrison Butker, punter Matt Araiza and long-snapper James Winchester<\/p>\n

We were afraid we\u2019d have to learn how to pronounce punter Eddie Czaplicki\u2019s name, but Araiza stood up to the competition and held on to his job. There was never any doubt that Butker and Winchester would be back.<\/p>\n

Under contract, not counted on active roster (8)<\/p>\n

Reserve\/Non-football injury(NFI) list:<\/p>\n

DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, WR Jalen Royals, LB Jack Coachrane, S Deon Bush, RB Keaontay Ingram, DE Janarius Robinson, CB Eric Scott<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at how the team\u2019s 53-man rosters have been constructed since 2013.<\/p>\n

Position Quantities by Year – Offense\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Year\tQB\tRB\tWR\tTE\tOL\tFB\tTot
\n2013\t3\t3\t6\t3\t8\t1\t24
\n2014\t3\t5\t5\t3\t9\t1\t26
\n2015\t3\t3\t6\t3\t8\t1\t24
\n2016\t3\t4\t6\t4\t8\t1\t26
\n2017\t3\t2\t6\t3\t9\t1\t24
\n2018\t2\t4\t6\t2\t10\t1\t25
\n2019\t3\t4\t5\t3\t9\t1\t25
\n2020\t2\t3\t6\t4\t9\t1\t25
\n2021\t2\t3\t5\t4\t10\t1\t25
\n2022\t3\t4\t5\t3\t9\t1\t26
\n2023\t2\t3\t7\t3\t10\t0\t25
\n2024\t2\t2\t7\t4\t10\t1\t26\t<\/p>\n

Chiefs Roster History by Year – Defense\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Year\tDL\tLB\tCB\tS\tTotal
\n2013\t7\t9\t4\t6\t26
\n2014\t6\t9\t5\t4\t24
\n2015\t6\t10\t5\t5\t26
\n2016\t6\t9\t6\t4*\t25*
\n2017\t7\t9\t6\t4\t26
\n2018\t6\t9\t5\t5\t25
\n2019\t10\t6\t4\t5\t25
\n2020\t10\t5\t5\t5\t25
\n2021\t9\t6\t6\t4\t25
\n2022\t10\t4\t6\t4\t24
\n2023\t10\t6\t5\t4\t25
\n2024\t9\t5\t6\t4\t24\t<\/p>\n

*Eric Berry had a roster exemption at the 53-man roster cutdown in 2016<\/a> and was included in most cutdown listings.<\/p>\n

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