Quick Thoughts on First 53-Man Roster
Nobody can ever say Herm Edwards doesn’t back up what he says.
The Chiefs head coach said the roster needed to be younger. He said that over a year ago. He’s gone about making it happen.
The initial 53-man roster for the Chiefs has 31 players who are 25 years old or younger. That’s 59 percent of the roster. Twenty-two of those players are 23 years old or younger. Ten of those players are 22 years old or younger.
Until there is some stability in the 53 names on the roster, we won’t spend much time analyzing the early results. That time will come probably Sunday night, once the Chiefs put in their waiver claims on any players that interest them around the league.
If the Chiefs find talent somewhere else, which of the current 53 would go? I would rank the bottom five on the Chiefs roster this way based on the current roster numbers, production in pre-season and other factors:
- 53 - LB Napoleon Harris.
- 52 - CB Maurice Leggett
- 51Â - TE J.P. Foschi
- 50 - WR Jeff Webb
- 49 - RBÂ Dantrell Savage/R B.J. Sams
The moves in this first wave provided few surprises. They would be limited to Harris making the team and both Savage and Sams being on the roster. Harris did nothing exceptional in the off-season or pre-season to keep his spot on the roster and he has no future with the team. I’ve got to believe if the Chiefs can find a young linebacker out there that Harris will be the first to go.
The decision on Savage/Sams obviously came down to Sams’ hamstring injury. There’s been no word out of Arrowhead on what Friday medical tests disclosed on Sams. Rest assured that Savage’s fumble to open the game on Thursday night combined with the injury created this situation. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Savage can provide something else besides returns; Sams is a returner only.
The Chiefs are top heavy at halfback with five guys on the roster. They are also heavy in the secondary with 10 guys, including six corners. But those were the positions of strength for the Chiefs and Edwards was determined to keep the best players.
We’ll have plenty more in the coming 48 hours on the roster. But right now here’s what it looks like:
QUARTERBACK (3): Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard.
HALFBACK (5): Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles, Jackie Battle and Dantrell Savage.
FULLBACK (1): Mike Cox.
TIGHT END (3): Tony Gonzalez, Brad Cottam and J.P. Foschi.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Dwayne Bowe, Devard Darling, Will Franklin, Maurice Price and Jeff Webb.
OFFENSIVE LINE (8): Branden Albert, Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones, Damion McIntosh, Herb Taylor, Barry Richardson and Wade Smith.
DEFENSIVEÂ LINE (8): Turk McBride, Tank Tyler, Glenn Dorsey, Tamba Hali, Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards. T.J. Jackson and Brian Johnston.
LINEBACKERS (6): Derrick Johnson, Pat Thomas, Donnie Edwards, Demorrio Williams, Wes Dacus and Napoleon Harris.
CORNERBACKS (6): Pat Surtain, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Dimitri Patterson, Tyron Brackenridge and Maurice Leggett.
SAFETIES (4): Jarrad Page, Bernard Pollard, Jon McGraw and DaJuan Morgan.
SPECIAL TEAMS (4): B.J. Sams, Nick Novak, Dustin Colquitt and J.P. Darche.
thank you for the updates, you answer just about all the questions floating around.
I am glad to see the Chiefs keep 5 Halfbacks…If they truly want to run the ball as much as they say, it will be great to have some guys ready to step in case of injury or exhaustion
Bob,
If you ever get the chance, please let us know your thoughts on Devard Darling. Is he a legit NFL starting receiver? Thanks.
Ya I like the way the roster looks at this point. Maybe lose Sams and pick up an Ol. Try to get a younger upgrade at the linebacker spot.
I’d hope the Chiefs would be interested in signing Chris Simms and DE Jerome McDougle, cut by Philly. If they could sign Simms they could look into trading Huard to Green Bay for a linebacker like Abdul Hodge, thus cutting Harris. McDougle had a strong preseason and would help with the pass rush off the edge.
Another player to look for is Victor Hobson who was cut by the Patriots but played for Herm with Jets before that. Hobson could provide insight on the Patriots, depth at LB and Herm drafted him.
I’ve heard several ?’s on Darling, please tell us why he is considered #2? I didn’t see anything from him while in Minnesota, and I haven’t seen anything yet here.
Darling played in Baltimore.. He is slowest 4.3 guy i have ever seen.. Sippio got open more than this Cat!! I was hoping they would cut him, bump up Franklin, Price, Webb, and keep McMahon.
Name another #2 WR in the league who doesn’t have a catch in the Preseason??
you cant judge off the preseason, the league leading rusher in the preseason got cut, enough said. Darling played maybe a quarter in each game, Sippio saw 3 quarters…big difference. Had Brodie hit on a pass to Darling up the sidelines that he overthrew, then people would be complaining hes not seeing the ball enough…
As for all those trades posted above, this isnt madden but I like the thought of an ex Patriot for week 1.
I think we cut the wrong kicker.
Anyone else see it that way?
Thanks Dustin! …I was in a hurry w/ the Darling question during a fant. draft.
You raise a good point, w/ the speed issue, what is Sippio’s 40 time? Why is he considered to be so “slow”? Just curious!
MenInRed…it’s hard to say who was the better choice…I thought Barth had a better leg w/ the kickoffs, but then they weren’t consistent.
The Victor Hobson pickup is a good idea(I think). We need depth at LB, I saw abdul hodge play at Iowa. The guy can lay the lumber, but we need Rangy Linebackers, and Hodge is more of a thumper(my thoughts anyways) Who cares if he can provide us insight against the pats? I’m a condemmed optimist, and i want to say that we have a chance at foxboro, but its also saying that i have a chance at winning the lottery…I think we will keep it a lot closer than most people think.
I don’t think Chris Simms will want to play for KC. He’ll be a back up to Croyle, so he’d essentially be in the same position he was in at TB…Not starting. And it sounds that…come hell or high water, Croyle is our QB this season(which, I think he’ll put the doubters to bed)
I’d like to see us keep Huard, he’s like a bunker in a tornado….it’s ugly and unsightly when it’s sunny, but you love to have it when bad weather hits(I.E. Croyle get’s injured)
I think our depth at LB kind of scares me, next year in the draft, I think we go after a DE(the dude out of LSU…why not eh?) and MLB(Laurinitis anyone?)I’m really hoping Tamba is sand bagging just because it’s the preseason. He’s one of my favorite chiefs(my wifes’ too!)
Bob, great site, it was awesome to see when you responded to my question about Micheal Allan. I think it’s a crime to not have you on with the “nights at the round table”. I’d pay for your tab…but I work at target(and go to grad school
)
I really like this roster. Sams and Savage is a bit much, but I’d think Savage is the first to go if they can get another decent offesnsive line prospect on waivers. Savage will clear waivers easy and go on the practice squad. Don’t rule out Kevin Robinson making an impact once he gets healthy. Simms I could do without and I doubt Green Bay (or anyone) has much interest in Huard. Culpepper would be my choice over Huard but it’s not my call.
Can Napoleon Harris take some snaps at DE on third downs? He was a DE in college at Northwestern and the Raiders converted him to LB so maybe he could help us there. He’s big enough to do it on a part time basis. I just think the cap hit would be huge if they cut him one year into that deal he signed last year.
I’m betting the Chiefs wish they had Key Fox right about now….
The Patriots also released Chad Jackson. He was supposed to be 3rd on the NE depth chart. He would provide better WR depth than Price & would also be able to contribute as a Returner.
Here are the Chief waiver claims. Shockingly Nap Harris still survives, as he’s the only MLB backup currently. They cut Weston Dacus instead. And CB Maurice Leggit survives over Brackenridge. Leggitt has amazing speed, Brackenridge doesn’t, which I guess is their thinking, although he played pretty well for us last year.
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KANSAS CITY CLAIMS G BRIAN DE LA PUENTE AND LB ERIK WALDEN ON WAIVERS
Aug 31, 2008, 1:29:03 PM
Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson announced on Sunday that the club claimed two players on waivers. The Chiefs claimed G Brian De La Puente on waivers from San Francisco and LB Erik Walden from Dallas. Per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, those players will play under terms of their contracts with their previous clubs.
De La Puente (6-3, 306) (pronounced DAY-la-PWEN-tay) originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with San Francisco in 2008. He played in 26 games (16 starts) during his four-year collegiate career at California. He started all 13 games as a senior, earning honorable mention Pac 10 honors. The Los Angeles, California native earned first-team All-South Coast League honors as a senior at San Clemente High School in San Clemente, California.
Walden (6-2, 250) entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick (167th overall) of Dallas in 2008. A collegiate defensive end, Walden was a four-year letterwinner at Middle Tennessee State. He played in 44 games (34 starts), recording 152 tackles (108 solo), 40.0 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks (-136.0 yards), four passes defensed, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception. Walden saw action in 10 contests (nine starts) as a senior, recording 46 tackles (35 solo), 9.0 stops for loss and 2.0 sacks to earn first-team all-conference honors. He was named first-team all-state at Dublin High School in Dublin, Georgia.