NFL Roster Cuts 2021: 5 big surprises in the Kansas City Chiefs' initial 53-man squad
The Kansas City Chiefs have all the makings of a contender. They have the NFL's most magnetic trio in Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreke Hill. Every year they have these three, they expect to win the Super Bowl.
But before that, they had to round out the rest of their 53-man roster. The preseason gave them their chance to do just that. Now that it's set, here's a look at the biggest surprises on their depth chart.
Five surprises on the Kansas City Chiefs' 53-man roster
# 1 - Releasing Taco Charlton
Taco Charlton had a rough start to his career. In 2019, however, he had a sack in four of five games before injuries mounted in the second half of the season. Injuries have been a story for Charlton, but the Chiefs looked like they were willing to give the former first-round pick a chance.
The Chiefs have a looming suspension for defensive end Frank Clark ahead of the season. Alex Okafor was brought in to replace Clark and won the camp battle over Charlton.
The reason this is a big surprise is that the Chiefs could've made a roster spot available for both. They have four tight ends on their roster and three of them won't see the field unless Kelce goes down.
Okafor's missed 11 games the last two years and Charlton could've been used as depth if that happened again. Charlton's far from great, but he would've fit in with the Chiefs as well as he would with any team.
#2 - Releasing Darwin Thompson
Darwin Thompson was slated to be the fourth running back on the Chiefs' depth chart. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams and Jerrick McKinnon take the top three spots, but having four running backs in the modern NFL is common, and the Chiefs now only have three.
Thompson wasn't consistent in his limited snaps but showed flashes of speed and pass-catching ability. Andy Reid wants to run the ball more often in 2021. Thompson could've been an insurance policy were the injury bug to bite.
#3 - Not upgrading at linebacker
There's still time for the Chiefs to make a move at linebacker, considering their current group of Anthony Hitchens, Willie Gay and Nick Bolton is among the most suspect in the NFL.
Gay played all 16 games as a rookie and was good but not great. Hitchens has had a good career with the Chiefs but isn't quite a difference-maker. Bolton, meanwhile, is a rookie.
This trio may exceed expectations and help the defense. But the Chiefs gave up the 19th-most running yards in 2020. If Clark is gone, that takes away one of their better run defenders. It's a surprise the Chiefs didn't make a move for anyone at the cut deadline Tuesday.
#4 - Letting Will Parks go
Will Parks is a five-year veteran the Chiefs brought in after he was let go by the Denver Broncos. Parks is a fast safety who's better in run defense than pass defense. The Chiefs had three safeties on their roster locked into place: Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorenson and Juan Thornhill.
Mathieu is one of the best safeties in the league. Thornhill has flashed a lot of potential. Sorenson is a solid option. But the final safety spot went to fourth-year pro-Armani Watts.
Watts does offer special teams abilities that Parks doesn't, but for a team that needs to beef up its run defense, Parks would've been a good backup safety.
#5 - Choosing Chad Henne over Shane Buechele
Chad Henne's been the backup quarterback to Mahomes for three seasons. He's one of the most reliable backup QBs in the NFL at age 36. But Shane Buechele surprised fans and analysts alike this preseason with.
Buechele completed 67.5 percent of his passes. He didn't force things downfield too much and mostly stuck to shorter routes. He had 422 passing yards and three touchdowns, though.
Buechele had an uphill battle to make the roster but played admirably. He was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad and could see action if a nightmare scenario unfolds for the Chiefs.