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The Kansas City Chiefs enter 2023 with a handful of spots up for grabs. Once again, wide receiver will be fascinating to watch, in terms of who steps up and produces consistently. Kansas City will also have many opportunities for a defensive line that is extremely young, overall.
Every team has just one cut day this year. NFL squads will be down to 53 players by Tuesday, August 29th. In just over a week, we will officially know who ends up making the Chiefs roster for 2023. In the meantime, we are going to do our best to try and predict who makes the cut, going position by position.
So far, we have listed quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. Next up, we move on to the offensive line. The starting group underwent some facelifts at offensive tackle. Meanwhile, there are a couple of challenging decisions to make, when it comes to the final offensive linemen to make the roster. Let’s kick it off.
Offensive Linemen currently on the roster: Donovan Smith, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor, Nick Allegretti, Darian Kinnard, Wanya Morris, Lucas Niang, Prince Tega Wanogho, Mike Caliendo, Austin Reiter, Sebastian Gutierrez, Jerome Carvin, Jason Godrick, Anderson Hardy
New Bookend Offensive Tackles
The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the 2023 season with a new pair of starting offensive tackles. Former Jaguars blocker Jawaan Taylor received a sizable contract in free agency to come to Kansas City. On the flip side, Donovan Smith was a late addition, as his signing came after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft. While Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie both had some flashes of brilliance while with the Chiefs, the team is hoping that there will be more consistency from the offensive tackle spots this year.
Smith is coming off of one of his worst career seasons. His penalties were a major Achilles heel while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But if there is one positive to look towards, Smith was still winning reps with physicality and a tenacious nature last season. That mauling mentality has already proved to be a bit of an upgrade at left tackle in training camp and the preseason.
Taylor has received mixed reviews for his career so far, depending on who you talk to. But going back to his draft year, I personally was a fan of his coming out of Florida. For his entire Jaguars tenure, he was continually healthy and displayed tremendous instincts. It seems like his hand technique is always smooth. His play style could be a perfect fit for this Chiefs offense.
One Of The Best Interior Trios
There may be no better interior blocking trio in the NFL than the combination of Thuney, Humphrey and Smith. Humphrey and Smith have been steals, relative to where they were drafted, from day one. Smith punishes and bullies defenders immediately, weakening them as the game rolls on. As for Humphrey, the mix of football IQ, athleticism and power for a player his size is a weapon to have in a versatile offense. The Chiefs are hopeful that they can soon pay these two and reward them with massive contract extensions.
Joe Thuney may not always receive the recognition that he deserves. But his quiet nature during reps simply takes the air out of an opponents’ pass rush moves. He is someone who Kansas City can depend and lean on when things get tight. On top of that, his approach and technique as a blocker has visibly rubbed off on the other interior blockers of the Chiefs.
Final Decisions
The Chiefs really do not have a lot to worry about with the starters at offensive line. Meanwhile, there is a great deal of inexperience and questions surrounding the depth options. Kansas City has historically kept at least nine offensive linemen in the last four seasons. We believe that will happen again.
Nick Allegretti is easily the most noteworthy depth option, as he has stepped in and provided notable results in a pinch, beforehand. Rookie draft pick Wanya Morris should easily make the roster and continue to develop as a raw piece.
As for the other two spots that we are projecting, Darian Kinnard will likely be given a greater chance. This is due to him still being in just his second career season, as a result. It would not be surprising to see the Chiefs dangle Lucas Niang out there for a minor trade. The same could be said for Prince Tega Wanogho. But in the end, Niang has started under this regime before. They could always keep both of those names, but there may only be room for one. We think Niang gets the final offensive line spot over Wanogho.
PROJECTED FINAL DEPTH CHART
LT: D. Smith
LG: Thuney
C: Humphrey
RG: T. Smith
RT: Taylor
Backup Options: Allegretti, Morris, Kinnard, Niang
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs 53-man roster prediction articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
