Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl Champions, they still have a lot of new faces that will be making significant contributions to the roster in 2024.
As with any team that does a lot of winning, a lot of players end up leaving because they get big-money contracts. You can't keep everybody, although the Chiefs have done a pretty outstanding job of keeping the majority of their core pieces in tact all over the roster.
As much as the Chiefs are going to be relying on newcomers in the 2024 offseason, there are still some players who were acquired this offseason who may never end up playing a snap for the team.
6 players who may never play a real snap for the Chiefs
1. Louis Rees-Zammit, RB/KR
One of the most interesting offseason additions by any NFL team in 2024 was the Chiefs' decision to sign former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit as a running back, offensive weapon, and possible return specialist. Rees-Zammit could end up being a much bigger factor than anyone really realized when there was a pretty modest "bidding war" for his servies earlier in the offseason, but there's also always a chance he never plays a regular season snap.
The news and updates out of Chiefs training camp seem to indicate the opposite in that Rees-Zammit could actually end up playing an even bigger role than expected, but the jury is still out until we see him get the job done in preseason games.
There is more nuance to playing in the NFL than you really think about. Sure, Rees-Zammit could be crafty with the football in space, but can he pass protect? Can he line up in the right spot in a crucial moment of a game?
Again, the preseason will be telling.
2. Irv Smith Jr., tight end
There is no doubt that the Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best tight ends in the league in Travis Kelce, but they might have one of the deepest and most well-rounded tight end rooms after this offseason.
Kelce's top backup is Noah Gray, who has slowly but surely developed into a key role player for the Chiefs over the last couple of years. Gray might now have a challenger for some snaps in Chiefs rookie tight end Jared Wiley, who has been one of the top stories of camp for the back-to-back champs. Nick Roesch of A-to-Z Sports had this to say:
"Wiley has been one of the stars of camp throughout the first week. It's clear that the Chiefs see him as an immediate red zone threat. Ross has shown in previous camps that he provides value in the red zone, proving it again today with a leaping touchdown catch over cornerback Joshua Williams."
Jared Wiley felt like a huge steal for the Chiefs in the 2024 NFL Draft when they scooped him up in the fourth round. Unfortunately for Irv Smith Jr., there may be too many cooks in the kitchen at tight end right now.
Smith is a former second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings who had a shot last year with the Cincinnati Bengals and caught 18 passes in 12 games. Smith is still only 25 going on 26 years old, so he won't be out of chances in the NFL. But his fit on the Chiefs is hard to project right now with the other players at tight end.
3. Ian Book, quarterback
One of the cooler stories so far of the offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs has been the progression of quarterback Carson Wentz as the backup to Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes was backed up by the likes of Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert previously, and the addition of Wentz this offseason just felt right for Andy Reid.
Although Reid was in Kansas City at the time, Wentz has ties to Reid disciple Doug Pederson from their time together in Philadelphia, and now Wentz is in a much different position than he was earlier on in his career. And being the backup to Patrick Mahomes seems to be something he's really embracing:
“I think that tail in the last year getting that one game experience in the new system, all those things last year, although it was the last game of the year, and it was some of the backups and all that stuff. I still think that was really valuable and important for me, especially being out for half the year and all that, so right now, I’ll be ready.”
Carson Wentz (via The Chiefs Wire)
It's likely we'll see the Chiefs keep three total quarterbacks with one going on the practice squad. If that's the case, former Saints draft pick Ian Book is going to have to show out in order to beat Chis Oladokun for that third and final spot.
Book is in a tough spot because it's not exactly like the Chiefs are trying to prioritize getting him reps at practice right now. But he will have a shot to put some stuff on tape in the preseason.
4. CJ Hanson, OL
There's nothing wrong with the idea of taking an ultra-athletic offensive lineman late in the NFL Draft and seeing if you might be able to hit on something.
You never know when you're going to strike gold, right?
The Chiefs took a shot on Holy Cross offensive lineman CJ Hanson in the 7th round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and the unfortunate reality of a 7th-round pick is that you may never see these guys hit the field. But Hanson is going to be fun to watch in the preseason, at least.
"Hanson is an efficient mover with good linear burst and physicality to get on target quickly, but his lack of size and power will make it difficult for him to hold the point and displace NFL defenders. He's young enough to develop physically and stick as a swing backup on the interior, though."
Bleacher Report pre-draft scouting report
Before the NFL Draft, Hanson was one of the highest-graded offensive linemen on the RAS scale (Relative Athletic Score) with a whopping 9.87. He's a talented player who might need some time to develop. And for the Chiefs, he's someone they might end up losing on the waiver wire.
Teams around the league are always looking to snipe guys off the waiver wire and especially if they can steal a guy the Chiefs liked and scouted, that's an added bonus.
5. Tyree Gillespie, safety
There are some moving parts in the secondary this year for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it's going to be tough for players to crack the rotation at safety. The top two guys on the depth chart right now are expected to be Justin Reid and Bryan Cook with rookie fourth-round pick Jaden Hicks and veteran Deon Bush behind.
Tyree Gillespie is a really interesting dart throw for this Chiefs team during the offseason and into the preseason, though.
The former Missouri star was a really intriguing player in the NFL Draft just a couple of years ago when he ran a blazing 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at six feet tall, 207 pounds. There was obviously a lot of explosive athletic talent there which is why the Raiders took him in the fourth round.
Unfortunately for Gillespie, he's only logged 13 defensive snaps in two NFL seasons and hasn't been able to make himself a non-negotiable special teams ace. That is going to have to change if he wants to make the Kansas City Chiefs' roster, where he's fighting with a couple of undrafted free agents in 2024.
DJ Miller and Miles Battle are two other players the Chiefs will be getting looks at if they decide to end up keeping five safeties on the roster, and these guys are all getting additional reps while Justin Reid remains on the Non-Football Injury list.
6. Swayze Bozeman, linebacker
Although he may boast the best name on the entire Kansas City Chiefs' roster, linebacker Swayze Bozeman may never play a snap for this team. There are a number of undrafted players defensively that could contend for 53-man roster spots on the Kansas City Chiefs, but the overwhelming favorite at this point has to be former Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs, who has been turning heads already this offseason.
Swayze Bozeman is going to have to do his best to swing the pendulum in his favor when it comes time for preseason games to kick off.
There are a lot of intriguing traits with this player here. Bozeman posted a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day along with a very impressive 36-inch vertical jump at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds. Maybe the most impressive trait Bozeman possesses is his change of direction and quickness. He posted a 6.67 in the three-cone drill, which would be a good number for a top-tier wide receiver prospect or cornerback.
There are definitely traits worth looking into here when it comes to Bozeman's athletic makeup and physical abilities.
Part of the reason why we didn't see him get drafted was because he missed so much time before the 2023 season. He played just 14 games from 2020-22 and wasn't able to put the fullness of his talent on display.
In 2023, Bozeman racked up 54 total tackles and four tackles for loss. If he can go out in the preseason and prove he's capable on special teams, other teams are going to get greedy on the waiver wire and do everything they can to poach this guy out of Kansas City. The athletic traits are NFL-ready, there's no question about it. With the NFL's new kickoff return format, a player like Bozeman could end up being coveted at roster cuts.
We may never see this guy suit up for the Chiefs if they don't initially keep him on their 53-man roster.
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