3 Major Mistakes the Chiefs Could Make With Their Final 53-Man Roster

The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to do something no other NFL team has ever done before: win three consecutive Super Bowls. Their unprecedented run of dominance is impressive to watch, and while it’s tough to win three Super Bowls in a row, a team with Patrick Mahomes simply can’t be ruled out.

That being said, for the Chiefs to win another Super Bowl, they’re going to have to be smart about their decisions.

With the preseason over, the Chiefs Kingdom have been looking at possible roster cuts. Their roster needs to 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 of winning, Kansas City should look to avoid making those 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, while averaging 4.6 yards per rushing attempt. He even picked up an additional 244 yards receiving with two touchdowns.

In 2024, it will still be Pacheco who will occupy most of the backs, but depth is important, especially at this position. Unfortunately for Kansas City, the quality of their 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. He was the one who squandered the backfield to Pacheco, to begin with. Behind CEH, the depth is even harder to spot.

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

The Chiefs will 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 in better shape than the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. As frustrating as Carson Wentz is, he probably has the backup job secured. That should be enough.

Mahomes has dealt with a few minor injuries over the years, but he’s almost always able to play. Last season, he played in 16 of Kansas City’s 17 games. The only one he missed was the season finale, which didn’t matter. In the previous two years, Mahomes played all 17 games. He’s been durable, and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change.

If Mahomes were to get hurt, Wentz would be next in line for the most high-profile players. The Chiefs shouldn’t prepare for the absurd scenario where both Mahomes and Wentz get hurt in the same game.

Sure, Chris Oladokun and Ian Book have both had good moments this preseason, but neither should be on the team’s 53-man roster. The Chiefs would be better off using that spot as depth at another position.

The Chiefs made a blockbuster trade mid-season during the 2022 campaign, acquiring former first-round pick Kadarius Toney in exchange for two future draft picks. It’s hard to fault Kansas City for making that 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.

While Toney was instrumental in that victory, he has been mostly unproductive during his tenure with the Chiefs. Last season, he appeared in 13 games and had 27 receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown. He had four more fumbled passes than touchdowns. He did not play in any of the four postseason games.

Not only has Toney been under-productive 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 keep him, mainly due to the lack of receiver space following Hollywood Brown’s injury and a possible suspension of Rashee Rice, but he hasn’t exactly played very well this preseason.

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