What's Real and Fake in Chiefs’ First 2024 Unofficial Depth Chart?

It's unofficial depth chart season as KC's preseason debut approaches, but not everything is as it appears on the surface.

Jul 26, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to media after training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs football is almost back, at least in preseason form.

This weekend, Andy Reid's team will play in a game for the first time since winning Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers. The next few weeks will present opportunities for relative unknowns to push for roster spots, as well as proven commodities to get back in the swing of things. Preseason football serves as a ramp-up period for everyone, and it all starts on Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As mandated by the NFL, Kansas City has put together an unofficial depth chart for Week 1 of the preseason:

The #Chiefs first UNOFFICIAL depth chart of the season. pic.twitter.com/VvX8WcP1jV

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) August 7, 2024

In regards to these depth charts, there's simultaneously plenty to unpack and not much to ponder at all. Cracking the code of what does and doesn't matter ahead of the preseason is always a difficult task, especially with training camp position battles heating up.

Considering that couldn't be much lower on the Chiefs' list of priorities, only so much can be drawn from the list. Camp performances are taken into account as an educated guess of sorts, however, so the chart remains interesting to look at. Let's decipher what's real and fake about the Chiefs' initial, unofficial 2024-25 depth chart.

Rankings are NOT concrete assessments

Taking the unofficial depth chart as the gospel is a tale as old as time. Every summer, those in Chiefs circles will overreact to the first ranking of the year and consider it a direct reflection of how the 53-man roster could take shape. In reality, there's a multitude of factors at play here. Seniority, rep splits at camp, injury timelines and more can have an effect on how the chart is outlined.

For example, look at where wide receiver Kadarius Toney, defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and cornerback Jaylen Watson are at. Despite seeing the field plenty at camp when healthy, Toney is one of the very last wideouts listed. That doesn't have to mean his "days are numbered," as one outlet is alluding to. Watson, who just returned and shed his non-contact jersey, is a top-four cornerback. Nnadi was a premium snap-getter along the defensive line in 2023 but as he works his way back from a triceps injury, he trails virtually everyone else at tackle.

Some rankings can be viewed as set in stone. Proven players who held starting roles, the usual suspects, aren't going anywhere and won't see their priority order changed. But the further one goes down the chart, the less and less confident they should be in what they see. With dozens of players at camp and so many moving pieces on a daily basis, it's a fool's errand to put stock into a premature, multifaceted, non-premium order. (It's understandable, though. It was a long offseason.)

Player placements by position ARE worth monitoring

This is the fun (and perhaps more significant) part of the unofficial depth charts. Although the categorization of players partially reflects how they've been used at camp, it's not like Reid to waste reps for any player. Every practice play carries weight, whether it's to explore one thing or rule out another. Entering the Chiefs' first preseason game, a few players' groupings are worth keeping an eye on.

On the offensive side, there seems to be more and more traction for undrafted free agent Carson Steele playing a varied role. He's done so at Missouri Western State University for camp, slotting in at fullback and even being a de facto tight end at times. Just last month, the UCLA running back product said he was fine fulfilling whatever duty Kansas City needed him to. Put down as a fullback on the unofficial depth chart, that continues to be the case.

On defense and special teams, Chamarri Conner and Nikko Remigio are players to watch. The former is a safety by trade but is listed as a cornerback on this week's chart. While most would continue to view Conner as a back-end piece at safety, there's smoke surrounding him playing a nickel role in his sophomore campaign. His grouping is more of a semantics argument.

Remigio, on the other hand, doubles as a return option in addition to a receiver. The team is very fond of him, and the former Fresno State standout being tried at the return role in practice is reflected on the depth chart. That versatility is a selling point his proponents go to when constructing an argument for his 53-man roster candidacy.

With game No. 1 on the horizon, the beauty of the unofficial depth chart is in the eye of the beholder.

Read More: Steve Spagnuolo Discusses Players With Something to Prove in First Preseason Game