53 Man Roster Projection After Week 2 of the Preseason

Here's how I'm seeing the Defensive Roster after Week 2

After the Chiefs beat the Cardinals in Arizona the roster is a lot closer to taking shape than it has been in a while. With a good performance on all levels, the Chiefs showed they have a deep roster at multiple positions. Not only is their roster deep but it is deeper than it has been since Reid took over in Kansas City over 10 seasons ago.

If you missed the offensive side of the ball you can find that here.

Defensive Tackle - 5

Chris Jones - If he’s back in time for the first game he will start.

Derrick Nnadi - Still a starter until they find a replacement.

Tershawn Wharton - He’ll be on the roster. Potential IR after initial cuts.

Keondre Coburn - Rotational tackle that looks like he could play both positions.

Danny Shelton - Maybe he doesn’t make the initial roster because of his contract but he’s looked a lot better this year.

Defensive End - 4

George Karlaftis - He’s looked better this preseason than he looked at the end of last year. He could be in for a big year.

Mike Danna - He will likely start the season since Omenihu is going to the suspended list.

Malik Herring - Gives the Chiefs the ability to have several DE’s that can also play DT on passing downs.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah - He’s not quite ready for week 1 but he’s getting closer each week and will likely play a lot against the Browns.

Linebacker - 5

Nick Bolton - Obvious starter at MLB and the leader of the defense.

Willie Gay - Starter at OLB.

Leo Chenal - Starter in the base defense based on the preseason but it will not shock me if Drue Tranquill comes in at times with 3 LB’s on the field.

Drue Tranquill - I like what he brings to the defense. It’ll be interesting to see how Spags uses him during the season.

Jack Cochrane - Right now he’s the only LB that isn’t a lock. He’s likely the 5th LBer on the team and a core special teams guy.

Corner - 6

L’Jarius Sneed - Starter but question how long he could be out with his knee swelling.

Trent McDuffie - Starter and likely in for a very big year.

Josh Williams - Probably the third corner on the team though he and Watson seem almost interchangeable at this point.

Jaylen Watson - Another backup for the outside corner position.

Nic Jones - This is where it gets interesting. Jones has broken fingers and I think they wanted him to be the nickel corner. May end up on IR after initial cuts.

Kahlef Hailassie - They could decide to go with more DE’s but the backups have been able to go to other teams for a while so I’m guessing they go deeper at corner.

Safety - 4

Justin Reid - Starter

Bryan Cook - Starter

Chamarri Conner - Looks like a heat-seeking missile on the field. May have hopped Edwards for the third safety role.

Mike Edwards - On the team but could be the third safety depending on the defense called.

Defense - 24 players

Specialists - 3

Kicker - Harrison Butker

Punter - Tommy Townsend

Long Snapper - James Winchester

With all the talent the Chiefs have on offense I still think they go higher on that side of the ball this year which is the way I have it playing out so far.