KCKingdom
Fansided

Kansas City Chiefs: Projected Starters For 2015 Season

By Leigh Oleszczak

facebooktwitterreddit

With the NFL off season in full effect, it’s time to dive deeper into this Kansas City Chiefs roster and project the possible starters. Fortunately, NFL.com has been doing this with all 32 NFL teams, and their predictions for the Chiefs was posted on Sunday afternoon.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com posted his projections for the Kansas City Chiefs roster, and here’s what he thought.

Projected Starting Offense

* = Rookie

Breaking down Patra’s predictions, I’d say he did a pretty nice job. The few surprises I saw there was Albert Wilson getting the nod in the second spot over Jason Avant or rookie Chris Conley, but Wilson showed potential last year. He proved to be one of Smith’s favorite targets in 2014, grabbing 16 receptions for 260 yards in 12 games. He also grabbed Smith’s longest pass on the yard, which was a 48 yard pass.

More from Kansas City Chiefs

"Jeremy Maclin will provide Alex Smith with a receiver who can create separation, something Chiefs receivers couldn’t seem to do in 2014. We expect Albert Wilson — who displayed speed and promise in a good December run — to be the No. 2 guy. Jason Avant is barely a No. 3 wideout at this stage and De’Anthony Thomas is a gadget player.– Patra"

The other somewhat surprising projection was with Mitch Morse at center. I get that he’s a versatile lineman, but I still wouldn’t be shocked if 2013 sixth round pick Eric Kush gets a shot at the starting job.

"Rookie Mitch Morse will earn the starting center nod after Rodney Hudson — the team’s best lineman — left for Oakland. While Morse will be a downgrade, the addition of Ben Grubbs and Paul Fanaika are upgrades at the guard spots.– Patra"

As for the defense, here is who Patra predicted to start.

Projected Starting Defense

* = Rookie

None of these should come as a surprise, except maybe that Marcus Peters would get the immediate starting job over last year’s third round pick Phillip Gaines. Gaines looked good last year and could definitely jump in should Peters struggle early on. It is also worth noting that Smith could be facing a suspension, which will definitely impact the cornerbacks early on.

The safety positions will likely play out the way Patra said, which shouldn’t be too much of an issue. The Chiefs’ secondary looked great with these two guys out there last year so I’m not too worried.

"With Eric Berry still battling cancer (get well, sir), the Chiefs will enter with Ron Parker as the strong safety. Parker’s play vacillated from great to poor last season in 1,037 snaps, but KC loves his upside. We should also note that there is a chance Sean Smith could face a suspension due to a DUI arrest last summer.– Patra"

Live Feed

Jonathan Taylor Next Team Odds: 3 Contenders That Make Sense for Star Running Back
Jonathan Taylor Next Team Odds: 3 Contenders That Make Sense for Star Running Back /

Betsided

  • Should the KC Chiefs consider an extension for Harrison Butker?Arrowhead Addict
  • Danny Shelton feels ready to contribute to KC Chiefs title defenseArrowhead Addict
  • NFL Rumors: 5 Jonathan Taylor trade packages Colts can't possibly turn downFanSided
  • Caesars + FanDuel Promos: Back Chiefs in Preseason Week 3, Win $450 Bonus + $100 Off NFL Sunday Ticket!Arrowhead Addict
  • Chiefs Rumors: Pacheco injury, Shane Buechele shoutout, QB predictionFanSided

    • While Justin Houston has still yet to sign his franchise tender, I don’t think the Chiefs will let him miss any games this season. At least I hope not. The defense definitely needs him.

    "We are assuming Mike DeVito and Derrick Johnson will return healthy from Achilles ruptures and Justin Houston will eventually sign his franchise tag tender (or get a long-term deal). Jaye Howard performed well in stretches last season but wasn’t consistent enough to knock DeVito out if he returns healthy."

    Overall this looks like a scary roster and this team should be the best its been in years. The defense looks stronger than ever, and the offense fixed the two struggling positions, which were wide receiver (adding Maclin and drafting Conley) and along the offensive line (adding Grubbs and Fanaika and signing Morse).

    Would you change anything about Kevin Patra’s projections or does this look pretty accurate?

    Next: Four Rookie Quarterbacks Trying Out For Chiefs

    More from KC Kingdom

    Home/Kansas City Chiefs