Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart 2021: Predicting Week 1 offensive and defensive starters
Reigning AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs are the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl this season.
The Chiefs are bringing back the majority of their team from last season and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has stated he wants to go 20-0 in 2021.
Head coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs will expect to not only win the AFC West again but also grab the no.1 seed in the AFC.
On that note, let's take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs' roster heading into the upcoming NFL regular season.
Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart
Offense
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, Jordan Ta’amu-Perifanos, Anthony Gordon
Running Back: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson, Elijah McGuire, Derrick Gore, Michael Burton
Wide Receiver: Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, Byron Pringle, Antonio Callaway, Marcus Kemp, Gehrig Dieter, Tajae Sharpe, Jody Fortson, Chad Williams, Maurice Ffrench, Dalton Schoen
Tight End: Travis Kelce, Nick Keizer, Noah Gray, Blake Bell, Sean Culkin, Evan Baylis
Offensive Tackle: Orlando Brown Jr., Mike Remmers, Martinas Rankin, Lucas Niang, Prince Tega Wanogho
Offensive Guard: Joe Thuney, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Kyle Long, Nick Allegretti, Andrew Wylie, Bryan Witzmann, Yasir Durant
Center: Austin Blythe, Darryl Williams, Creed Humphrey
Defense
Interior Defensive Line: Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, Khalen Saunders, Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton
Edge: Frank Clark, Taco Charlton, Tim Ward, Michael Danna, Austin Edwards, Demone Harris, Joshua Kaindoh
Linebacker: Anthony Hitchens, Willie Gay Jr., Ben Niemann, Dorian O’Daniel, Omari Cobb, Darius Harris, Emmanuel Smith
Cornerback: L’Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, Rashad Fenton, BoPete Keyes, Deandre Baker, Nick Bolton, Chris Lammons
Safety: Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, Daniel Sorensen, Armani Watts, Rodney Clemons
Special Teams
Kicker: Harrison Butker
Punter: Tommy Townsend
Long Snapper: James Winchester
Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart Analysis - Offense
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes may be the greatest player in the NFL today. He will once again lead one of the most potent offenses in the league this year.
Last season, Mahomes recorded 4,740 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and six interceptions, with 308 rushing yards and two more TDs. There’s no reason to think the Kansas City Chiefs QB won’t be challenging for the MVP award again in 2021.
He will be backed up by NFL veteran Chad Henne. The reliable second-string QB proved last year that he has the ability to keep the Kansas City Chiefs winning in Mahomes’ absence.
Running Back: Last year’s rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a revelation early in the season. While his production dipped later in the year, he still had a solid rookie season. The starting RB had 181 carries for 803 yards and four touchdowns.
This offseason, Kansas City Chiefs brought back Darrel Williams to back up Edwards-Helaire. He signed a one-year contract after rushing 39 times for 169 yards with one touchdown in 2020.
Wide Receiver: Tyreek Hill is one of the greatest deep threats the NFL has ever seen. The Mahomes/Hill combination has proved almost unstoppable over the past three seasons. He recorded 87 catches for 1,276 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns in 2020.
Sammy Watkins’ departure to the Ravens should help Mecole Hardman take on a larger role this season. The speedy receiver should be able to add to the four TDs he scored last year.
Demarcus Robinson returns after setting a career-high in receiving yards last season with 466 on 45 receptions while adding three touchdowns.
Tight End: Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL and it's not particularly close. Despite attracting multiple defenders on every possession, Kelce set career-highs in 2020 with 105 receptions, 1,416 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
Nick Keizer will back up Kelce again this season. He caught six passes for 63 yards last season.
Offensive Line: The Kansas City Chiefs upgraded their offensive line by trading for Orlando Brown from the Ravens. Brown has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons.
Mike Remmers will battle Lucas Niang for the other tackle position while new signing Austin Blythe should be the starting center in Week 1. Former Patriots starter Joe Thuney will be one of the guards alongside Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
Also Check Out: 2021 NFL Depth Chart for all 32 teams
Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart Analysis - Defense
Interior Defensive Line: Chris Jones will anchor the middle of the Kansas City Chiefs defense this season. Jones registered 36 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 28 QB hits, including a safety.
Former Seattle Seahawks defender Jarran Reed signed with the Chiefs this offseason. Reed recorded 38 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one pass deflection and a forced fumble in 2020.
Derrick Nnadi will provide solid backup after recording 47 tackles across 15 games.
Edge: Frank Clark had six sacks alongside 29 tackles, 15 QB hits, and eight tackles for a loss in 2020. It was a relatively unproductive season for the defensive star and Kansas City Chiefs will be hoping he can have a bounce-back year.
Taco Charlton will be looking to step up after the departures of some of the bigger name pass rushers in the offseason. Charlton recorded eight tackles and two sacks before he was injured last year.
Michael Danna will be the backup after registering 25 tackles, 2.5 sacks and six QB hits in 2020.
Linebacker: Anthony Hitchens will captain the Kansas City Chiefs' linebacker group this season. He compiled 78 tackles with four QB hits and one pass defended in 2020.
He will be joined by second-year player Willie Gay Jr. who recorded 39 tackles, three passes defensed, and one sack. The third starter will be Ben Niemann, who appeared in 15 games last season.
Cornerback: L’Jarius Sneed had an impressive 2020. Sneed recorded three interceptions, two sacks and 41 tackles during the regular season.
Charvarius Ward will start opposite Sneed in the Kansas City Chiefs secondary. Over the past three seasons, he’s registered 155 tackles, two interceptions, 19 passes defensed, one sack, and three QB hits.
Rashad Fenton will be the backup CB after delivering 35 tackles, one interception and seven passes defensed in 16 games.
Safety: The Kansas City Chiefs have a destructive safety partnership heading into the season. Tyrann Mathieu is still one of the top safeties in the NFL. Since 2019, he’s produced 10 interceptions and 132 tackles.
Third-year safety Juan Thornhill has the potential to be as good as Mathieu. After tearing his ACL in 2019, he did return last season but should be fully fit this year. Look for Thornhill to be one of the standouts for the Kansas City Chiefs defense.
Special Teams
In Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs have one of the premier kickers in the NFL. Last season, Butker had a 92.6% field goal success rate.