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The Jody Fortson injury has upset the apple cart at the tight end position. The only silver lining is that it allows the Kansas City Chiefs to be more flexible at the roster cutdown.
Arrowhead Pride media insider Pete Sweeney published a bold theory on the TE room during an updated 53-man roster projection on August 15, for example, predicting that KC would only keep two tight ends at the initial deadline.
“I continue to believe the Chiefs move on from Blake Bell for 24 hours, taking [wide receiver Kadarius] Toney’s spot [on the roster] a day later,” Sweeney explained. “As mentioned in projection 2.0, there may be a handshake deal for Kansas City to release Bell at the deadline, just to sign him back the next day.”
“Only veterans with four or more accrued seasons are released rather than waived,” he noted, “which means none of the other 31 teams could claim Bell. This allows [general manager Brett] Veach to work with him on a procedural move.”
In Sweeney’s projection, this would allow the Chiefs to keep seven wide receivers — including fan favorite Justyn Ross — three quarterbacks, and 10 offensive linemen. Or perhaps KC considers eight wideouts and nine blockers, or an extra defender rather than another offensive player.
The options feel limitless, and Bell’s veteran status helps provide that.
Chiefs TE Matt Bushman Could Also Make the 53-Man Roster in Place of Jody Fortson
With the Chiefs under no pressure to keep Bell, an eight-year pro and two-time Super Bowl champion, there is another party that could benefit: 27-year-old TE Matt Bushman.
The former undrafted talent out of BYU was making a roster push in 2022 before a preseason injury derailed his campaign. He followed the year away from the football field with another stellar spring at Organized Team Activities, although he was held without a catch during the first 2023 preseason outing against the New Orleans Saints.
After Fortson’s injury, Bushman finds himself on the bubble — but he has a clear opportunity to change that.
Kansas City could roster three tight ends (Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Bell after Toney or someone else is moved onto the short-term injured reserve), or they could plan to keep four, considering there’s no fullback in 2023. Typically, head coach Andy Reid would prefer that fourth TE/FB, but the Chiefs are loaded with depth at positions like wide receiver and cornerback — among others.
If Bushman wants to be a part of this roster, he’ll have to show more in the final two preseason games. The clock is ticking, and it’s time for every cut candidate to prove that they deserve to be here Week 1.
Chiefs Insider Suggests OTs Lucas Niang & Prince Tega Wanogho Could Be Battling for Roster Spot
During the same roster projection, Sweeney highlighted an under-the-radar preseason battle occurring at the offensive tackle position.
“[Prince Tega] Wanogho (79.5) and [Lucas] Niang (76.7) earned the top two Pro Football Focus offensive line grades in the Chiefs’ first preseason game,” he relayed. “The rookie, [Wanya] Morris (59.4), looked a little raw — which, to be fair, is to be expected.”
“Morris had been getting occasional snaps with Kansas City’s top line in St. Joseph as the swing tackle, but I’m mulling over if that changes after what transpired in New Orleans,” Sweeney continued. “Games matter the most when it comes to roster evaluation, and I think Wanogho did himself a big favor with his performance.”
Sweeney ended up going OL heavy in this projection, keeping 10 blockers and five offensive tackles. So, in other words, he kept the entire reserve trio of Morris, Niang and Wanogho for safety’s sake.
That feels somewhat unlikely, however, especially if another versatile lineman like Darian Kinnard is on the roster as a potential OT — not to mention do-it-all starter Joe Thuney. If the Chiefs see their O-line the same way, that means Niang and Wanogho could be duking it out for one job.
Sweeney acknowledged this in his article, stating: “I’ll admit: there seems to be room for only one of Wanogho or Niang, so perhaps one is moved (a la Yasir Durant) and Kansas City keeps tight end Matt Bushman, another defensive tackle (such as Danny Shelton or Daniel Wise) or even cornerback Kahlef Hailassie.”
As we said, the current TE room gives the Chiefs a lot of flexibility at the cutdown.
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