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Now trimmed to 53 players, the Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on the regular season with excellent depth on both sides of the ball. Despite cutting some exceptional players after their game against Minnesota last week, the preseason process gave the team more than enough time to evaluate the talent they had through training camp, especially after missing camp last season.
With the roster set, Andy Reid is focused on winning early games in September. The Chiefs’ first game against the Browns at Arrowhead will be the first real test for Kansas City. They host a bevy of new talent this season, a far cry from last year when they returned nearly every starters after winning Super Bowl LIV.
The Chiefs’ perfect preseason record was a reason for celebration after the win over the Vikings. Reid seemed pleased with the team’s performance in August. He told the media that the exhibition games were a great chance to see younger players in real situations, and served a key role in the cuts made on Tuesday for Brett Veach.
“I liked what I saw on both sides of the ball,” Reid said. “We were able to get the young guys some extended play, which I thought was important, especially for Brett (Veach) and the decisions he had to make. He’s in the process right now, going through everything. He’s made cuts and that, but at the same time, he’s got to put together a 16-player practice squad and he’s got to keep finalizing what other teams are doing and if they want to work into what we’re doing here as far as moving players around a little bit. So, that’s where we’re at.”
Asked if this is the deepest group he’s had in Kansas City, Reid was non-committal but seemed confident in the roster as it stands heading into week one.
“I think time will tell on that,” he told reporters. “As we work through it and what it will look like once we get into games. We’ve still got a ways to go. We’ve still got another week here that we’ve got to get ourselves ready to play against a good Browns team. We’ll see. I like the group, though.”
Reid is still taking a day-by-day approach with the preseason bye this week, and after Tuesday’s cuts seems to be ready to get back to work with the remaining players. Preparation has officially begun for the September home opener, though Reid explained that the team was still emphasizing coaching points from training camp.
“We went back through and those things that we didn’t cover that we had talked about in training camp, we wanted to go back and work on those” Reid said, “So, that’s kind of what today was. Obviously, we don’t have a scout team, so we had to service ourselves today. Ones got to work in—I mean, it was one of those days. But both sides of the ball plus special teams were able to work on some things that I thought could help them throughout the season. It wasn’t so much Cleveland or that.”
With a tight window for a playoff spot in the AFC, Kansas City will need to play steady solid football for their whole extended 17 game schedule. Assemble the best 53-man roster isn’t quite finished for Kansas City, but the Chiefs still look primed to get off to a great start in their September games.
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