With training camp right around the corner, 53-man roster projections for the 2022 NFL season are beginning to roll in.
Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride released his first Kansas City Chiefs roster projection of the 2022 season on July 19, and the first notable omission from his projection is running back Derrick Gore.
Kansas City signed Gore last offseason, and he managed to make the team’s 53-man roster in 2021 after a strong preseason. Once Clyde Edwards-Helaire landed on injured reserve during the 2021 regular season, Gore made his presence known in the Chiefs’ backfield. In 11 regular season games, he accumulated 256 rushing yards on 51 rushing attempts (5.0 yards per carry) and had 2 rushing touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. He also caught 8 passes on 9 targets for 105 receiving yards.
Gore was omitted from Sweeney’s 53-man roster projection along with rookie Jerrion Ealy. The running backs that did make Sweeney’s roster were Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones II, Jerrick McKinnon, and rookie Isiah Pacheco.
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“The wild cards in this room are Derrick Gore and Jerrion Ealy, both of whom Kansas City will want to keep on the practice squad,” Sweeney wrote. “But if they make things interesting at camp, perhaps the Chiefs pull a late-preseason “Carlos Hyde” by moving McKinnon or Jones to another club.”
Baker Misses Cut in CB Room, KC Gives Up on Powell
Among the other notable decisions by Sweeney was making Deandre Baker an odd-man-out in the cornerback room. Baker, a former first-round pick of the New York Giants, showed progress during his first full season in Kansas City in 2021. However, he didn’t do enough to make the roster this season, according to Sweeney.
“The key name you might find missing here is Deandre Baker — and my thought here is simple: if the Chiefs felt like Baker could be a producer for them, do they draft five defensive backs and trade for another?” Sweeney wrote. “Maybe the Chiefs flip Baker for a day-three conditional pick with a team like Miami — which now has cornerback coach Sam Madison, who was always incredibly high on Baker while he was in Kansas City. Also, look out for Chris Lammons — a surprise name to make it last year.”
Sweeney also predicts that 2021 fifth-round pick and wide receiver Cornell Powell, who spent the 2021 season on Kansas City’s practice squad, will be cut.
Among the players that Sweeney predicts will begin the season sidelined with injury are offensive lineman Lucas Niang (Reserve/PUP) and rookie wide receiver Justyn Ross (injured reserve).
“I think this camp marks the end of former fifth-rounder Cornell Powell’s Kansas City tenure,” Sweeney wrote. “I also wonder if the Chiefs can find a way to redshirt Justyn Ross for a year as he rebuilds his strength following a rough injury stretch in college.”
Training Camp Report Dates
Although several NFL teams have begun rallying their players for training camp, the Chiefs aren’t one of those teams.
Kansas City’s quarterbacks and rookies are scheduled to report to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph on Friday, July 22. Meanwhile, the veterans are scheduled to report on Tuesday, July 26. Training camp officially begins on Wednesday, July 27, with a practice that is open to season ticket members only. The first practice open to the general public will be on Thursday, July 28.
Report dates are official for training camp! Rookies will head up to St. Joe on July 22 before the rest of the squad reports on July 26.
The first practice open to the general public will take place on July 28. The full schedule is on the Chiefs’ website!
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Chiefs Insider Predicts Fan-Favorite RB & Former 1st-Round DB Will be Cut