After a busy offseason, a competitive training camp, and an impressive preseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have announced their initial 53-man roster for the start of the 2021 NFL season. After making the necessary moves to trim the roster down from 80 players to 53, General Manager Brett Veach and Head Coach Andy have revealed the team has decided to keep 25 players on offense, 25 players on defense, and three special teams members.
Without further ado, here is the 2021 Kansas City Chiefs:
Quarterbacks (2)
- Patrick Mahomes
- Chad Henne
Waived: Shane Buechele
Kansas City will be rolling with two QBs on the depth chart once again this season. Shane Buechele will likely be the quarterback on the practice squad.
Running backs (3)
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Darrel Williams
- Jerick McKinnon
Waived: Darwin Thompson and Derrick Gore
Darrel Williams had steadily climbed up the depth chart since first coming to Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Jerick McKinnon, who lost to Kansas City two years earlier in Super Bowl 54, has beaten out Darwin Thompson to be the third back on the roster. Look for Derrick Gore to potentially return to the practice squad.
Fullback (1)
- Michael Burton
The Chiefs ran through a long line of fullbacks after Tony Richardson retired, before picking up Anthony Sherman via trade in 2013. Now that Sherman has hung up the cleats, Kansas City’s first crack at filling some big shoes will be with Michael Burton paving the way in 2021.
Wide Receiver (5)
- Tyreek Hill
- Mecole Hardman
- Demarcus Robinson
- Byron Pringle
- Daurice Fountain
Waived: Cornell Powell, Maurice Ffrench, Darrius Shepherd, and Dalton Schoen
Released: Marcus Kemp and Gehrig Dieter
The Chiefs Kingdom will be happy to see Daurice Fountain has cracked the 53 after an outstanding preseason performance. Of those released, possibly the two biggest disappointments were arguably Cornell Powell, who had a very underwhelming camp and preseason after getting a lot of hype following the draft. The other was Marcus Kemp, who Kansas City was high on as a special teams player. However, the hope was for Kemp to branch out into the Chiefs’ offense. That said, it’s still possible he’ll be back on the practice squad.
Tight Ends (4)
- Travis Kelce
- Blake Bell
- Noah Gray
- Jody Fortson
Chiefs fans will also be glad to see Jody Fortson has also made the 53 as the fourth tight end on the roster. For the first time, the Chiefs will actually have solid depth behind Travis Kelce. Better yet, Bell, Gray, and Fortson are all capable of making a legitimate impact in the passing game.
Offensive line (10)
- LT Orlando Brown Jr.
- LG Joe Thuney
- C Creed Humphrey
- RG Trey Smith
- RT Lucas Niang
- OT Mike Remmers
- OG Nick Allegretti
- OG Andrew Wylie
- OG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
- C Austin Blythe
Waived: Prince Tega Wanogho, Wyatt Miller, and Darryl Williams
Traded: Yasir Durant (To New England)
PUP: Kyle Long
Kansas City spent the majority of the offseason investing in reassembling the offensive line. After training camp and preseason, it’s safe to say they’ve done better than anyone could imagine. Various starters from last season will return to act as depth, which is a huge plus. Two players, however, Blythe and LDT, are likely destined for short-term IR as they work to get back from minor injuries. Meanwhile, Kyle Long remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) meaning he’ll have to miss the first six weeks of the season.
Defensive End (5)
- Chris Jones
- Frank Clark
- Alex Okafor
- Mike Danna
- Joshua Kaindoh
Waived: Tim Ward, Demone Harris, and Austin Edwards
Non-Football Injury: Malik Herring
Expectations are high for the Chiefs’ pass rush this year, now with Chris Jones moving back to the outside. It’s slightly disappointing to see Tim Ward didn’t make the final cut after having such a good preseason.
Defensive Tackle (4)
- Derrick Nnadi
- Jarran Reed
- Tershawn Wharton
- Khalen Saunders
Waived: Tyler Clark
Unsurprisingly, Kansas City will continue to roll with four defensive tackles going into 2021. Chris Jones moving to the outside also made the DT depth chart a little more predictable.
Linebacker (6)
- Anthony Hitchens
- Willie Gay Jr.
- Nick Bolton
- Ben Niemann
- Dorian O’Daniel
- Darius Harris
Waived: Omari Cobb, and Emmanuel Smith
Kansas City has opted to keep six linebackers on the active roster. Likely due to Willie Gay nursing a toe injury. Look for Niemann, Harris, and even Bolton to get some reps on to fill on for Gay while he’s out. Dorian O’Daniel has also avoided the roster bubble, likely for his skills on special teams.
Cornerback (6)
- Charvarious Ward
- L’Jarius Sneed
- Rashad Fenton
- Mike Hughes
- DeAndre Baker
- Chris Lammons
Waived: BoPete Keyes, Dicaprio Bootle, and Zayne Anderson
Chris Lammons making the roster is an interesting move and was likely influenced by Dave Toub for Special teams purposes. It’s also good to see DeAndre Baker successfully make the team after nursing a broken femur over the offseason.
Safety (4)
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Daniel Sorensen
- Juan Thornhill
- Armani Watts
Waived: Devon Key, Marlon Character, and Rodney Clemons
No changes in the safety position. There was some hype early in training camp around Devon Key, however, he pretty frizzled out during the rest of camp and was ultimately beaten out by Armani Watts’ two interceptions during exhibition play.
Special Teams (3)
- K- Harrison Butker
- P- Tommy Townsend
- LS- James Winchester
No changes here since there wasn’t any competition for kicking, punting, or long-snapping.
