Alright, so it’s that time of year again. Training camp buzz is everywhere, pre-season games give us little glimpses, and everyone starts guessing who’s gonna make the final cut for the Chiefs. I figured, why not try and map out my own 53-man roster prediction? It’s always a bit of a puzzle, trying to piece it together based on what little we see and hear.
First thing I did was just pull up the current roster. You gotta know who you’re even working with, right? Just seeing all those names, especially the new guys from the draft and free agency, gets you thinking.
Getting Started – The Obvious Guys
Okay, step one is easy. You go through position by position and mark down the absolute locks. You know, Mahomes, Kelce, Chris Jones… the big names, the established starters. Those guys aren’t going anywhere. That fills up a good chunk of spots right off the bat and kinda gives you a base to build on. It feels good, like you’re making progress, even though it’s the simplest part.
Digging In – Position Battles
Then comes the trickier part. I started looking at each group. How many running backs will they keep? Four? Five maybe, if someone’s a special teams ace? Same for receivers, defensive line, cornerbacks. You look at who played well last year, who they drafted, who they signed. I spent some time reading reports from camp, trying to see which names kept popping up. You hear things like “this rookie is looking sharp” or “so-and-so is having a great camp.” You try to weigh that against experience and contract status.
- Offense: The offensive line always seems to have a couple of spots up for grabs. Who’s the backup swing tackle? Which interior guy offers the most flexibility? And the wide receiver room… man, after the top guys, it gets crowded fast. Lots of young players trying to make their mark.
- Defense: Similar story. Defensive line rotation is key. Who provides that needed depth? Linebacker spots seem competitive this year too, especially with some of the newer guys pushing the veterans. The secondary always feels like a numbers game, figuring out who fits best in Spags’ system and who can play special teams.
Special Teams – The Deciding Factor
This is where it gets really tough, usually for those last few spots. You can’t forget special teams. Coach Toub has his guys. Who’s gonna be the gunner on punts? Who can return kicks? Sometimes a guy makes the roster almost purely based on that, even if he’s maybe the fifth receiver or the tenth defensive back on the depth chart. I had to really think about who fits those specific roles. It often means cutting a player who might be slightly more talented at their main position but doesn’t offer that extra value.
Making the Cuts (On Paper)
So, I literally just started listing names. Got a piece of paper, drew lines for offense, defense, special teams. Started filling in the locks, then penciling in the guys I thought had the edge for the bubble spots. You hit that number – 53 – and then you look at the names you left off. That’s the rough part. You see guys you like, guys who maybe flashed in a pre-season game, and you think, “Man, could they sneak in?” I probably rearranged the bottom five or six spots a dozen times.
There were a couple of spots, especially in the defensive backfield and maybe the last running back spot, where I really went back and forth. No easy answers there. It’s just trying to make the most logical guess based on roster trends, potential, and what you’ve been hearing.
The Final List (For Now)
After shuffling names around, I finally settled on a list of 53. Feels kinda complete, looking at it. But you know what? It’s just a snapshot in time. Injuries happen, trades can go down, and sometimes a guy just balls out in the final pre-season game and forces the coaches’ hands. So, this is my best guess right now, based on my own process of sifting through the info and going with my gut on some of the close calls. We’ll see how close I get when the real list drops.
