The Kansas City Chiefs own the NFL’s third-youngest roster after Sunday’s cutdown to 53 players, trailing only Miami and Cleveland.
That shift toward youth pulls Kansas City closer to the blueprint that built the 2013 Seattle Seahawks than to the aging title rosters other franchises leaned on this decade.
Kansas City’s average age sits at 25.7 by PhillyVoice‘s snapshot of all 32 rosters taken Sunday night. Dating players to the Sept. 9 opener, Bookies.com‘s Bill Speros also has the Chiefs third, at 26 years, 92 days.
Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Initial 53-Man Roster
| Player | Pos | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 30 |
| Justin Fields | QB | 27 |
| Garrett Nussmeier | QB | 24 |
| Kenneth Walker III | RB | 25 |
| Emmett Johnson | RB | 22 |
| Brashard Smith | RB | 23 |
| Rashee Rice | WR | 26 |
| Xavier Worthy | WR | 23 |
| Tyquan Thornton | WR | 26 |
| Cyrus Allen | WR | 23 |
| Jalen Royals | WR | 23 |
| Nikko Remigio | WR | 26 |
| Travis Kelce | TE | 36 |
| Noah Gray | TE | 27 |
| Jared Wiley | TE | 25 |
| Jake Briningstool | TE | 23 |
| Josh Simmons | T | 23 |
| Kingsley Suamataia | OL | 23 |
| Creed Humphrey | C | 27 |
| Trey Smith | G | 27 |
| Jaylon Moore | OL | 28 |
| Kahlil Benson | T | 24 |
| Joshua Ezeudu | OL | 26 |
| Hunter Nourzad | OL | 25 |
| Diego Pounds | T | 23 |
| Mike Caliendo | OL | 28 |
| George Karlaftis | DE | 25 |
| Chris Jones | DT | 32 |
| Khyiris Tonga | NT | 30 |
| Ashton Gillotte | DE | 23 |
| Felix Anudike-Uzomah | DE | 24 |
| R Mason Thomas | DE | 22 |
| Peter Woods | DT | 21 |
| Marcus Harris | DT | 25 |
| Nick Bolton | LB | 26 |
| Drue Tranquill | LB | 31 |
| Jack Cochrane | LB | 27 |
| Cooper McDonald | LB | 25 |
| Jeffrey Bassa | LB | 23 |
| Mansoor Delane | CB | 22 |
| L’Jarius Sneed | CB | 29 |
| Nohl Williams | CB | 23 |
| Chris Roland-Wallace | CB | 24 |
| Kristian Fulton | CB | 27 |
| Jadon Canady | DB | 23 |
| Kevin Knowles | DB | 23 |
| Chamarri Conner | DB | 26 |
| Alohi Gilman | S | 28 |
| Jaden Hicks | DB | 24 |
| Xavier Nwankpa | S | 22 |
| Harrison Butker | K | 31 |
| Matt Araiza | P | 26 |
| James Winchester | LS | 37 |
Kansas City Chiefs Roster Skews Young After Final Cuts
Miami ranks youngest at 25.0, followed by Cleveland at 25.5, Kansas City at 25.7, Jacksonville at 25.9 and Tennessee at 25.9. Pittsburgh and Atlanta sit oldest at 27.1, ahead of Denver, the Rams and San Francisco, all at 26.9.
Speros of Bookies.com, however, lists the Rams as the second-oldest team at 27 years, 214 days.
Long snapper James Winchester, 37, is Kansas City’s oldest player, ahead of Travis Kelce, 36, and Chris Jones, 32, according to the team’s official player roster. Rookie Peter Woods, 21, is the youngest, with Mansoor Delane, Emmett Johnson and Xavier Nwankpa tied at 22.
Chiefs Youth Movement Compared to League-Wide Trend
Kansas City ranked eighth-youngest after 2025 cutdowns at 25.92, according to PhillyVoice‘s rankings from last year’s cutdowns. This year’s group is nearly two-tenths younger, driven by Woods, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and an offensive line with no starter older than 28.
Roster age alone rarely decides titles. CBS Sports research ranked the 2024 Eagles the sixth-youngest Super Bowl winner of the modern era, behind teams like the 1974 Steelers and 2013 Seahawks.
The Ringer found most champions since the 2011 labor deal skewed toward older rosters, with the 2019 Patriots and 2021 Buccaneers both topping 28. Of course, both were quarterbacked by Tom Brady, who was 41 and 43 in those years.
Football Perspective found the clearest pattern in winning teams being simultaneously young overall, and talented at quarterback.
Five of 14 teams that made the 2025-26 playoffs ranked among the league’s seven youngest rosters, while the Commanders, oldest a year ago, missed the field.
The 2026 league average, according to Bookies.com, is 26 years, 303 days, months younger than last season’s opening mark of 27 years, 1 month, 29 days. With Patrick Mahomes still 30, Kansas City fits the profile teams want in a title chase, namely, young depth around an established quarterback.
