The Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster prediction just dropped its updated list with only one preseason game left, and get this: Jake Briningstool is officially making the cut at tight end. This ain’t no small deal, especially when you’re talking about a position group behind the legendary Travis Kelce.
Rookies Stepping Up and Shaking Things Up
The tight end room is seeing some major movement with Briningstool’s addition. Look, Kelce is gonna take the bulk of the snaps, whether they’re winning or losing, he proved that reliability last year. But Briningstool? He’s been making enough noise in training camp and preseason to straight up deserve a spot on an NFL 53-man roster. With the future of the tight end position in question for the Chiefs, this young pass catcher from Clemson could be a huge piece of the offense in future seasons. He earned it, no doubt.
It’s not just Briningstool either. Rookie Garrett Nussmeier locked in his QB3 spot behind Patrick Mahomes and Justin Fields. The guy looked good in camp and kept that energy through preseason performances, solidifying his spot. And how about Emmett Johnson at running back? While that group feels pretty set in stone with Kenneth Walker, Brashard Smith, and Emari Demercado, Johnson is making serious waves. Each back’s gonna have a role, but Johnson looks like the obvious choice to take the lion’s share of reps if starter Kenneth Walker is ever unavailable. That’s a serious early statement about a rookie’s potential impact.
Locked In and Looking Solid
Beyond the new blood, a lot of the roster looks locked down. The wide receiver room is holding strong with Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton, Cyrus Allen, Jalen Royals, and Andrew Armstrong. That’s the six, and the staff is betting big on this group. There was some talk about Nikko Remigio, the team’s starting kick and punt returner, but keeping these six over him makes sense, especially since Brashard Smith appears to be a quality option for returns. This receiver room looks better every single day.
The offensive line, even though the Week 1 starters aren’t totally locked down yet, is shaping up with Joshua Simmons, Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Jaylon Moore looking like the core. Keeping interior backups like Hunter Nourzad and Mike Caliendo, who have been with the team for a bit, makes total sense, especially while they figure out if rookie Kahlil Benson can play guard. You can’t win without a rock-solid O-line, and these guys are proving their worth.
With just one exhibition game left on the schedule, the Chiefs are really dialing in their final roster. Every rep in that last game matters, not just for the guys still battling for a spot, but for everyone gelling before Week 1. This team is already looking primed for a wild season, and seeing how these fresh faces perform once the real games kick off is gonna be unreal.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
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