Andy Reid's 53-Man Roster Trends For Week 1
Where do the Chiefs keep the most players, and who do they add after cutdowns?
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Today is a bittersweet day around the NFL. Some fan favorites will make 53-man rosters today, while other players who have worked their whole lives for this moment may see a dream slipping away. Andy Reid has been through this time and time again, and by all accounts, he’s one of the best on tough days like this.
While the roster construction is dictated by talent and skillset, Reid does have several tendencies with the number of players that he likes to keep at certain positions. With that said, I took a look at all of his 53-man rosters on cutdown day in Kansas City to find trends in his roster construction. I also dug into additions the week after cutdowns to see positions the team targeted in free agency and how they cleared room leading up to Week 1 of the NFL season.
Quarterback
Reid had kept three quarterbacks on the roster every single year since arriving in Kansas City until last year — with a different set of rules on practice squads and callups. Reid and Brett Veach exploited that ruleset to push Matt Moore onto the practice squad and “keep” a third quarterback around.
Average (2.88), High (3), Low (2)
Running Back
Reid’s running back rotations have definitely been dictated by talent — perhaps more so than any other position. While he has always kept a fullback in Kansas City, he’s kept as many as five and as few as two true running backs on the roster since 2013. In 2014, the Chiefs rostered six total backs (Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis, De'Anthony Thomas, Cyrus Gray, Joe McKnight, and Anthony Sherman), leaning on the depth at that position during initial cutdowns.
On the flip-side, the Chiefs only rostered three backs in 2017 (Kareem Hunt, Charcandrick West, and Anthony Sherman) after Spencer Ware was placed on IR. That was the infamous “C.J. Spiller year” where he was perpetually signed and cut throughout the season, but the team was able to survive behind Hunt’s stellar rookie year.
Reid does like keeping a running back on the practice squad, averaging one a year on the initial squad. Derrick Gore or Darwin Thompson — who were cut from the team yesterday — could be primed to fill that role in 2021.
Average (4.5), High (6), Low (3)
Wide Receiver
Wide receiver is one of the more stable positions in Reid’s time in Kansas City. He has kept either five or six receivers every single year since 2013. Reid also likes to stash receivers on his practice squad — keeping at least two every year since 2014, and a whopping four in 2020.
It’s a position that takes time under Reid’s tutelage, so it makes sense that he would want to keep as many bodies that know the system in-house, and develop as many players as he can on the practice squad year after year.
Average (5.75), High (6), Low (5)
Tight End
The question of the preseason seems to revolve around the Chiefs’ ability to keep four tight ends on the 53-man roster. While Reid typically prefers to keep just three, he has kept four on two occasions: in 2016 and 2020. The Chiefs kept all four on the active roster for most of the season in each occurrence, giving some hope that Jody Fortson could not only make — but also stay — on the active roster in 2021.
The Chiefs did have a singular year of keeping two tight ends on the initial 53-man roster in 2018. However, Demetrius Harris was serving a suspension at the beginning of the season and claimed a spot as a third tight end upon returning.
Average (3.13), High (4), Low (2)
Offensive Line
Every offseason, people predict that Reid will keep 10 (or more) offensive linemen on his 53-man active roster. Since he’s been in Kansas City, he has never kept more than 9 offensive linemen after initial cutdowns. This year’s offensive line is full of talent, but keeping 10 — or more — would have some major ramifications at other positions.
However, Reid has done well to catch value after cutdowns, picking up five different offensive linemen in the week away from initial cuts. He’s also kept two or more offensive linemen on the practice squad every year but one, in 2019. While there are some candidates that could immediately be placed on IR this year — and Kyle Long on the PUP list — keeping excess offensive linemen would be fairly out of character for Reid.
Average (8.63), High (9), Low (8)
Interior Defensive Line
Roster construction takes a bit of a turn here due to a 3-4/4-3 switch three years ago. Under Bob Sutton, the Chiefs kept six or more interior defenders every single year. Considering Sutton’s propensity to play dime against 11 personnel, the commitment to the interior is surprising, even with three defensive linemen in the base defense.
Since Steve Spagnuolo has been at the helm, the Chiefs have kept five and four interior defenders — although the team did get Mike Pennel back from suspension quickly in 2020. While four interior defenders seem like locks in 2021, Spagnuolo may be tempted to keep a fifth.
Average (5.75), High (7), Low (4)
EDGE
The Chiefs have been fairly consistent with their EDGE rusher numbers, which is to be expected with Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, and Dee Ford on the roster for much of Reid’s tenure. They’ve largely kept five at this position at cutdowns, although Spagnuolo did immediately release Jeremiah Attachou in 2019 to get down to four.
Spagnuolo did keep six in 2020 — which was important with the injuries the team endured at the position. In a bit of a surprise, the Chiefs have retained just one player on their initial practice squad at the position in Reid’s tenure: Tim Ward in 2020.
Average (5), High (6), Low (4)
Off-Ball Linebacker
Another position with some differing trends due to a scheme change, the Chiefs have expectedly kept more linebackers under Spagnuolo. Not only does this make sense due to an extra base down player, but there are also special teams contributions from the group that helps add more to the roster.
The linebacker position has also had the third-highest practice squad retention in Reid’s tenure — also likely because of special teams capabilities. The Chiefs have some interesting names at the position that would make plenty of sense on the practice squad in 2021.
Average (4.63), High (6), Low (4)
Cornerback
Reid has understandably relied on his talent to determine the cornerback position in Kansas City. He’s kept five or higher on the roster all but twice with the Chiefs: once in 2013 and once in 2019. In 2019, the Chiefs were expecting Morris Claiborne to come back into the fold after a suspension, putting five cornerbacks on the roster. In 2013, the Chiefs claimed a few defensive backs while they were first on the waiver wire, stocking their cornerback room.
Recently Spagnuolo has felt comfortable keeping six cornerbacks in the fold, as Bashaud Breeland served a suspension to start 2020 and retaining five cornerbacks on the roster on initial cutdowns.
Average (5), High (6), Low (4)
Safety
The safety position has also been inconsistent in its roster allocation through the years. While Reid has typically kept five safeties, he kept six once (2013), four twice, and three once — in 2016. That year, the Chiefs had an initial roster exemption for Eric Berry while he recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but he was activated prior to week one.
Spagnuolo has kept five safeties both years he’s coached in Kansas City — a strong position group with some defined players. However, the Chiefs haven’t gotten much out of the final safety spot either year (Jordan Lucas and Tedric Thompson played sparingly), so it remains to be seen if they’ll keep a fifth on the roster in 2021.
Average (4.63), High (6), Low (3)
Specialists
Reid has kept one kicker, one punter, and one long snapper on the roster every year in Kansas City. He has never kept a specialist on the initial practice squad.
Average (3), High (3), Low (3)