Tag: locks

34 Chiefs who are locks to make Kansas City’s 53-man roster

These 34 players should be considered locks to make the #Chiefs’ 53-man roster in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to be among the NFL’s best teams during the coming season, and their training camp practices have been a masterclass in competition. Few spots are safe on their depth chart heading into their 2023 title defense campaign, but several players have already secured their place on Kansas City’s roster, barring extreme circumstances.

From reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes to league icons like Travis Kelce, Creed Humphrey, L’Jarius Sneed, and Chris Jones, plenty of Chiefs won’t have a problem making the cut after the preseason ends. But others don’t have as clear a path to the final roster.

Kansas City is out to win their third Super Bowl of the Mahomes era, and the Chiefs can’t afford to keep anyone around who hasn’t proven themselves to be the best of the best. Check out our list of 34 players who are locks to make Kansas City’s 53-man roster, even before the Chiefs’ first preseason game:

37 players are locks for Saints’ 53-man roster heading into training camp

Barring something unforeseen, these 37 players should be seen as locks for the New Orleans Saints’ 53-man roster heading into training camp:

Every player on the New Orleans Saints’ 90-man roster is going into training camp with different goals in mind. Some of them are looking to build off of last year’s success, some will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing season, and others are just hoping to stay healthy and get a fair shot at making the cut in September.

At the end of the day only 53 roster spots will be available, and a good chunk of them are already accounted for. These 37 players should be seen as locks to make the team:

Roster locks and long shots for Saints’ updated 90-man training camp depth chart

Breaking down the roster locks and long shots for the New Orleans Saints’ updated 90-man training camp depth chart:

The New Orleans Saints are up and running at this week’s organized team activity practices, so it’s a good time to reassess the roster and consider which positions are areas of strength and which are looking vulnerable.

This time, we’ll be breaking each position group down into roster locks (established starters, veteran backups, and highly-drafted rookies), players on bubble (backups returning from last year’s roster or practice squad, late-round draft picks, and undrafted free agents who got heavily-guaranteed deals), and long shots (street free agents, rookies with training camp invites, and everyone else).

Remember, the Saints currently have filled just 89 of their 90 roster spots, so a move or two will be coming soon after the league’s June 1 milestone makes it more feasible for other teams dealing with salary cap constraints. Right now, here’s what the Saints’ roster looks like:

Lorenzo’s Locks: Pats, Packers and Cardinals lead the Week 14 slate

This week’s bets cover an AFC matchup with playoff implications, an elite team facing the Lions and Green Bay’s surge.

After going 2-1 last week, USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes is back at .500 on the year (21-21) and looking to keep things rolling with the Patriots (+2.5), Packers (-4.5) and Cardinals (-13.5) in Week 14.

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Lorenzo’s Locks Week 13: The Patriots are coming for Josh Allen and the Bills

Lorenzo is back for Week 13 and putting plenty of faith in New England’s rise.

USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes is back with another round of picks for Week 13 where the New England Patriots (+2.5) head to Buffalo as slight road dogs against a slumping Bills offense. The San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) and Miami Dolphins (-3.5) round out Lorenzo’s latest slate.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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How many roster spots are still open entering Packers’ preseason finale?

The Packers still have plenty to figure out on the fringes of the roster as the preseason finale approaches on Saturday.

Roster spots are available to be won during the Green Bay Packers’ preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Only a few positions for Matt LaFleur’s team look set in stone. This is a fluid roster with a lot of wiggle rooms of the fringes.

Remember, all teams must have their roster trimmed to 53 players by next Tuesday afternoon. Opportunities are running out, and there’s no opportunity better than a live-game environment.

Here’s a closer look at the roster locks and the roster spots still available as the Packers prepare for the final preseason game of 2021:

Saints training camp: Roster locks and long shots along the offensive line

The New Orleans Saints have their starting five locked in along the offensive line, but who will be backing them up? Our roster locks and long shots, plus players on the roster bubble:

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Do the New Orleans Saints have a stronger position group than their offensive line? There isn’t as much intrigue surrounding it in 2021 as there was at this point last season, and that reflects the efforts New Orleans made to keep a good thing together. Whether they can repeat that trick next year  remains to be seen — with Terron Armstead scheduled for free agency and Erik McCoy entering the final year of his contract, it’ll be challenging — but for now let’s focus on what’s right in front of us.

And that’s an unclear picture once you look beyond the top five or six linemen. Here are the roster locks, long shots, and blockers on the roster bubble:

 

Roster locks, long shots, and wide receivers on the bubble at Saints training camp

The New Orleans Saints usually carry four or five wide receivers, but who joins Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris on the roster with Michael Thomas on ice?

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The only certainty about the New Orleans Saints receiving corps is they won’t have Michael Thomas leading them to start the season. Beyond that, it’s a bunch of hope and prayers that a couple of second- and third-year players and Tre’Quan Smith can make big strides following a change at quarterback. It’s one of the weaker position groups on the team and around the NFL because of those unproven options.

So which players are locks to make the Week 1 roster? Who is on the bubble, and who should be seen as long shots going into training camp?

 

Saints training camp: Roster locks and long shots at linebacker

The Saints linebackers corps is kind of in flux, with a lot of change flowing around Demario Davis as the unit’s anchor. Who has the best shot at staying around in 2021?

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Who starts next to Demario Davis in the New Orleans Saints linebacker corps? That’s the most pressing question going into training camp, and the calls for Kwon Alexander to be re-signed were boosted when he visited New Orleans for an evaluation on his surgically-repaired Achilles tendon. While the Saints have invested high draft picks in Pete Werner and Zack Baun recently, it doesn’t seem like many fans are eager to see them playing heavy minutes.

So how does the unit look on the eve of training camp? Let’s scout it out:

 

Saints training camp preview: Roster locks and long shots at running back

We’re continuing our position groups previews for New Orleans Saints training camp with the running backs:

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A couple of new faces have been added to the mix, but the New Orleans Saints running backs room is largely unchanged from a year ago. Now, that isn’t the same thing as lacking the potential for change — depending on how backups progress and whether veterans can fit into new roles, things could take a turn in any number of directions.

So let’s keep the Saints training camp previews marching on with the running backs: