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KC Chiefs: 53-Man Roster Spots Up For Grabs

By Alec Tilson

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The KC Chiefs and the rest of the NFL have until today – Saturday, Sept. 5 – at 3 p.m. CST to announce their final 53-man rosters for the upcoming 2015 season.

GM John Dorsey, according to KCChiefs.com, said three or four roster spots are up for grabs on an already competitive roster:

"Right now, we’re at a level all across the roster where guys can compete and this year there’s going to be some guys who unfortunately won’t make this roster but will play for other teams in the National Football League……You want to make that sure they’re doing absolutely everything they can to help this organization as well. So that’s why it’s so critical because there’s four or five spots up for grabs here.”"

There’s a log-jam at several positions and it should be sorted out this afternoon. Here’s a few positions to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches:

Wide Receiver

Wide Reciever Fred Williams tore up the Arizona Cardinals for 82 yards and a score in the preseason’s first game. He seemed to come open on every route and had great timing with quarterback Chase Daniel.

Williams caught two more touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans two weeks later. He’s 27 years old, played in the Arena Football League and has been in and around the KC Chiefs organization since 2013. (All stats via NFL.com)

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He and wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. are likely the two being considered for the Chiefs’ sixth receiver spot.

Hammond finished the preseason with 10 receptions, 109 yards and one touchdown. He played in all 16 games for Kansas City last season, but caught just four passes for 45 yards. He’s a special teams contributor, tough.

Defensive Line

Defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo was signed to the Chiefs practice squad most of last season, and he didn’t disappoint in the preseason.

At 324 pounds and just 6-feet tall, Fangupo is a tree stump of man in the interior of the line. He recorded four tackles in the team’s four preseason games. He’s 30 years old, having bounced around the league quite a bit, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Chiefs think he’s finally ready for a full season.

Second-year man Nick Williams and seventh-round pick Rakeem Nunez-Roches are in the mix too. Williams finished the preseason with 10 total tackles and one sack. He’s a 6-foot-4, 309-pound tackle out of Samford and certainly showed enough on film to earn a spot behind Dontari Poe and Jaye Howard.

Williams is probably a bit more versatile along the line than Fangupo. Maybe they put both on the 53-man?

Offensive Line

Linemen Paul Fanaika might be pushed by Jarrod Pughsley and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Assuming the Chiefs carry nine offensive linemen, only two of the three will make the roster.

Fanaika was originally drafted by Andy Reid‘s Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and seems to be the safest bet. He bounced around practice squads before signing with the Cardinals prior to last season and starting all 16 regular season games.

Fanaika is huge – 6-foot-5, 327 pounds – and he played some right tackle this preseason.

Duvernay-Tardif is another big guy who Reid has praised in the past. Pughsley was signed by the KC Chiefs in October and was undrafted out of Akron in 2015. He seems more like practice squad material at this stage, but he’s worth noting.

Who do you think deserves a spot on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster?

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