The Kansas City Chiefs have trimmed their 90-man offseason roster and assembled their first iteration of the 53-man roster for the 2024 NFL season.

The team will continue to tinker with the roster throughout the coming weeks and during the season. This is merely the initial iteration of what will be an evolving roster for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Without further ado, here's a look at the 53-man roster:

Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are rookies

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Quarterback (2)

IN: Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz

Reaction: The writing was on the wall that these Mahomes and Wentz would be the guys to make it after they both sat during preseason Week 3. There was an off chance that the Chiefs kept three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster with the new emergency third quarterback rules, but that last preseason performance from Chris Oladokun certainly didn't warrant it. 

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Running back (3)

IN: Isiah Pacheco, Carson Steele*, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Reaction: Carson Steele rumbled his way onto the 53-man roster with his versatility and impressive performance in training camp and the preseason. Even though he struggled to stay on the field in training camp due to PTSD, Clyde Edwards-Helaire managed to keep his job. Deneric Prince is the odd man out in the room. 

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Tight end (4)

IN: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Peyton Hendershot and Jared Wiley*

Reaction: The Chiefs made a surprising trade with the Cowboys to acquire TE Peyton Hendershot. That gives them a fourth tight end, which Andy Reid has been known to like, and he should play special teams for Dave Toub. Noah Gray is a free agent in 2025, so this feels like a move with the future in mind. Jared Wiley also didn't quite look ready to contribute in a big way during the preseason outside of some nice looks in the red zone. 

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Wide receiver (7)

IN: Rashee Rice, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Xavier Worthy* Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, and Mecole Hardman

Reaction: The JuJu Smith-Schuster signing shook up the bottom of the wide receiver room for Kansas City. It allowed the Chiefs to move on from an inconsistent player like Kadarius Toney. Fans will detest the decision to release Justyn Ross, but he was still lining up wrong after three years in the system. Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman simply provide more value as bottom-of-the-roster receivers because of their special teams ability. Moore, in particular, was one of the most productive kick return specialists in the league during the preseason (33.7 YPA and tied for the 10th longest return). The one regrettable act was the decision to cut Nikko Remigio, but he could use a year of refinement on the practice squad.

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Offensive line (10)

IN: Kingsley Suamataia*, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor, Mike Caliendo, Wanya Morris, Ethan Driskell*, C.J. Hanson*, and Hunter Nourzad*

Reaction: Protecting Patrick Mahomes is always priority No. 1. This time they opted for a talented rookie offensive lineman instead of veteran third-round pick Lucas Niang. They also kept all three of their rookie draft picks at the position. 

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Defensive line (9)

IN: George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Malik Herring, Cam Thomas, Chris Jones, Mike Pennel, Tershawn Wharton, and Derrick Nnadi

Reaction: The Chiefs wisely made a move to add Cam Thomas in a trade with the Cardinals ahead of roster cuts. That raises the floor significantly because depth was lacking with Charles Omenihu and BJ Thompson starting the season on reserve lists.  On the defensive interior, the Chiefs go a little bit lighter than expected, moving on from Neil Farrell Jr. after just a season. 

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Linebacker (5)

On the 53-man roster: Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, Jack Cochrane, and Cam Jones

Reaction: This group was pretty cut-and-dry for the Chiefs. Four players were locked to make the team from the jump (Bolton, Tranquil, Chenal, and Cochrane). They decided to go heavy there given the new kickoff return rules and the need for more bodies and skill sets like linebackers on special teams. Cole Christiansen was the odd-man-out of this group. 

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Cornerback (5)

IN: Trent McDuffie, Nazeeh Johnson, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, and Nic Jones

Reaction: This room was the most interesting one for the Chiefs simply because they had so many players vying for spots on the bottom of the roster. It was never in doubt that members of the "Fab Five" (McDuffie, Johnson, Watson, and Williams) would make it. Nic Jones rounds out the room over rookie CB Kamal Hadden. 

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Safety (5)

IN: Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, Chamarri Conner, Jaden Hicks* and Christian Roland-Wallace

Reaction: The safety room continues to be a massive boon for Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt. Reid and Cook are your clear-cut starters while Conner and Hicks will both have roles when the team has three safeties on the field. Roland-Wallace is a chess piece who can play nickel, dime linebacker, and safety positions. 

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Special teams (3)

On the 53-man roster: K Harrison Butker, P Matt Araiza, and LS James Winchester

Reaction: This group is as unsurprising as the quarterback room. No competition here with the only potential question mark being James Winchester's availability to start the year after suffering a shoulder injury in preseason Week 2. 

Chiefs Roster Cuts Tracker 2024: Keeping tabs on all of the moves to get to 53

Keeping track of every move to get to the 53 players on the roster.