3 major mistakes the Chiefs could make on their final 53-man roster

The Kansas City Chiefs are attempting to do something no other NFL team has been able to accomplish before: win three consecutive Super Bowls. Their unprecedented run of dominance has been impressive to watch, and even with how difficult it is to win three Super Bowls in a row, a team with Patrick Mahomes simply can’t be counted out.

That said, for the Chiefs to win another Super Bowl, they’ll have to be smart in the moves they make.

Now that the preseason is over, Chiefs Kingdom has turned its attention to potential roster cuts. Their roster should be down to 53 players by the time they take the field in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. To give themselves the best chance at winning, Kansas City should try to avoid making these three mistakes.

One of the big stories of last season was the emergence of Isiah Pacheco. The former seventh-round pick completely took over the Kansas City backfield, rushing for 935 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games played, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt on the ground. He even added another 244 receiving yards with a pair of touchdowns.

In 2024, Pacheco will once again be the team’s primary backfield player, but depth is important, especially at that position. Unfortunately for Kansas City, their quality depth is lacking.

They brought back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on a one-year deal, but he averaged just 3.2 yards per carry last season. For starters, he was the one who gave up the backfield in favor of Pacheco. Behind CEH, the depth is even harder to notice.

That lack of depth gave Deneric Prince, a former undrafted free agent out of Tulsa, a chance to make the team. Unfortunately for him, he was outplayed by Carson Steele for much of the preseason, and Prince managed -1 yards on his three carries in Kansas City’s final preseason game. He had two total yards on his four touches in that game. He had a chance to impress and earn a spot, but he didn’t do enough to prove his worth.

The Chiefs likely want to keep him on the practice squad, and they should, but it would probably be a mistake to have him on their 53-man roster in Week 1.

When it comes to the quarterback position, no team is more prepared than the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet and one of the best of all time. As frustrating as Carson Wentz can be, he’s probably already locked into the backup job. That should be enough.

Mahomes has dealt with several minor injuries over the years, but he can almost always play. Last season, he played in 16 of Kansas City’s 17 games. The only one he missed was the final game of the season, which didn’t matter. In the previous two years, Mahomes played in all 17 games. He’s been resilient, and there’s little reason to expect that to change.

If Mahomes ends up getting hurt, Wentz would be next in line. The Chiefs shouldn’t prepare for the absurd scenario of both Mahomes and Wentz getting hurt in the same game.

While Chris Oladokun and Ian Book have had their fair share of good moments this preseason, neither of them should be on the team’s 53-man roster. The Chiefs would be better off using that spot as depth elsewhere.

The Chiefs made a huge trade midseason during the 2022 campaign, acquiring former first-round pick Kadarius Toney in exchange for a pair of future draft picks. It’s hard to blame Kansas City for making this deal. Toney has always been extremely talented, and he even showed it in one of their Super Bowl victories with the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.

As important as Toney was to that win, he has been largely unproductive during his time with the Chiefs. Last season, he appeared in 13 games and totaled 27 receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown. He had four more dropped passes than touchdowns. He did not play in any of the four playoff games.

Not only has Toney been unproductive on the field, but he’s also missed playing time due to injuries, making him a tough player to add to the roster. There are arguments to be made for keeping him, primarily surrounding the lack of roster space following Hollywood Brown’s injury and a potential suspension for Rashee Rice, but he hasn’t exactly played all that well this preseason.

He’s talented, but he hasn’t produced enough to warrant such a long contract. The Chiefs have other, more reliable receivers to turn to.