The Kansas City Chiefs’ blowout loss to the Seahawks in their second preseason game answered some big questions for the team. Players continued to fight for a roster spot, and we learned during the course of the game how the coaching staff felt about some players based on the playing time they received.
These Chiefs very well might have played their way off the K.C. roster. Cuts will need to be made on August 26th, and the Chiefs will have some difficult decisions to make about who to cut and who to keep. These players might have made the Chiefs’ job a little easier with their performances.
3 Chiefs who might have just played their way off the roster
Joshua Williams, CB
This one is a little strange, given where Joshua Williams has been for the Chiefs in seasons past. The former fourth-rounder out of Fayetteville State has appeared in nearly every game for the Chiefs since joining the team and has been a productive player for them.
Yet, that hasn’t seemed to matter this summer, and Williams finds himself as a potential cut candidate. Against the Seahawks, Williams was given 33 snaps to show what he could do, and the Seahawks’ backups scored consecutive touchdowns against him and the rest of Kansas City’s defense. In the four drives Williams was a part of, the Seahawks scored on three of them.
Of course, this wasn’t all on Williams, yet it does feel that he’s fallen out of favor with the K.C. coaching staff. Perhaps a trade could get worked out where he’s sent somewhere else, but right now, things aren’t trending in a positive direction for Williams.
Bailey Zappe, QB
For those of you who were rooting for Bailey Zappe to win the QB3 job this summer, I’m sorry to say that you’re probably going to be disappointed this time next week. A former fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022, Zappe has bounced around the league, but the Chiefs have given him a home on two separate occasions.
The first time Zappe was plucked off the practice squad by the Browns, where he started one game for them last year. The second time, while we don’t officially know the ending yet, it feels probable that Zappe will be cut and looking for a new home in the NFL.
Zappe was atrocious in his preseason opener and followed that up with another lackluster performance. Sure, he only had one incompletion on the night (he went 3-of-4), but he also had just nine passing yards on the passes he did complete. Chris Oladokun might not look like a superstar, but the Chiefs clearly see something in him, given how long he’s been around. At this point, he feels like a lock to win the QB3 job over Zappe.
Cole Christiansen, LB
Cole Christiansen’s appearance on this list is interesting because there’s a wrinkle in that he should find himself back on the team’s practice squad. That said, the Chiefs’ linebacking corps looked atrocious in the second preseason game as the Seattle Seahawks ran roughshod all over K.C.’s defense. And it’s hard to see Christiansen recovering from that.
The Chiefs will go with Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, and Nick Bolton as their primary starters. Jack Cochrane is also safe, although his knee injury could open a door for Christiansen to stick around. However, the presence of Cam Jones, fifth-round rookie Jeffrey Bassa, and impressive rookie free agent Cooper McDonald, it’s hard to see a path to the 53-man roster.
The Chiefs need players like Christiansen waiting in the wings for special teams acumen, but a spot on the team’s active roster isn’t going to happen unless Cochrane starts on IR.
