Takeaways From the Chiefs’ Initial 2023 53-Man Roster

After examining the Chiefs' transactions on cutdown day, there are three main elements to think about from the initial 53-man roster.

Earlier this week, the Kansas City Chiefs had to cut their roster down from 90 (or 91) to 53 players. It forced tough decisions, but it also gave the public the first look at what the team wants its identity to be throughout the 2023 season. 

With practice squads shaping up and the initial roster set, here are three takeaways to monitor during the early portion of the season.

Seven's heaven at wide receiver

For the first time in the Andy Reid era, the Chiefs have kept seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster. Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Rashee Rice, Justyn Ross and Richie James make up the room of pass catchers in Kansas City. They all present a different skill set that Reid can use to his liking. It'll be interesting to see how each is utilized throughout the season. Valdes-Scantling and Watson are the only two who have likely been used to their full capabilities during their time with the team. The rest are still largely unknown.

Though there is a lot of unknown surrounding the wideouts, there's no shortage of young talent in that group. Toney, Moore, Rice and Ross all enter this season at 24 years "old" or younger. It can be a core group that will grow together for years to come, as their skills complement each other well. Keeping seven receivers could lead to the Chiefs playing out of more spread looks (11-personnel) to get as many of these guys on the field simultaneously. Last year, Kansas City loved to live out of multiple tight end sets (12- and 13-personnel) because of the room's depth and talent. The offense could follow a similar path this year as it adjusts to this season's personnel.

Bolstering up front on defense

One of the Chiefs' first transactions of the day was interesting. They made a deal to trade with the division rival Las Vegas Raiders for Neil Farrell Jr., a 2022 fourth-round pick. Initial reports hinted that this move was made as insurance for Chris Jones' holdout. While that may make sense on the surface, it doesn't when looking at the roles each plays. Jones is a traditional three-technique, an interior pass rusher. Farrell plays more like a one-tech or nose tackle, an interior run stuffer. The newest Chief has some pass-rush ability, but that will not be his primary role, which made the insurance comment puzzling.

Where Farrell could change things for the Chiefs is the style of play. Kansas City can choose to be heavier on the interior, especially in neutral situations. This would allow them to play softer coverage on the back end without compromising run defense. Having soft coverage could give more time to the pass rush to get to the quarterback if Jones does indeed hold out into the season. Adding Farrell also helps solve a future need, as the Chiefs hope they have their future at nose tackle locked in with him and Keondre Coburn on cheap rookie contracts.

Cornerback health — a work in progress

L'Jarius Sneed didn't play a single snap in preseason and didn't participate in the latter half of training camp. The injury designation was his knee, which he has had issues with in the past. It didn't seem like it was anything structural at the moment because of the verbiage the staff used (inflammation-centric). However, Sneed missing extended time caused speculation that he could be placed on short-term injured reserve to start the season. With the moves the Chiefs made at the cutdown deadline (and the comments general manager Brett Veach made on Wednesday), it doesn't seem like Sneed will hit IR, signaling he should be ready for the start of the season.

The Chiefs waived promising undrafted rookies Ekow Boye-Doe and Kahlef Hailassie. It would be hard to see them putting those guys at risk of being claimed if they felt they needed a corner to be ready for the first few weeks of the season. This same logic also applies to seventh-round pick Nic Jones. The Ball State product fractured fingers during the first game of the preseason but didn't require surgery. Last year, Jaylen Watson was able to play through a broken hand by wearing a club over it; something similar could happen with Jones this season.

Read More: Brett Veach Delivers Big Update on Chris Jones Contract Situation