2025 Kansas City Chiefs

[FootballDad]

The Chiefs are taking a nosedive this year in terms of white players on the roster only fielding 16 this year which is more in line with the Fat Bastard average over the years. The 16 total is uncanny.

2018: 7 white starters, 16 on the roster
2019: 7/16 (no write ups in 2020 or 2021)
2022: 6/16
2023: 5/16
2024: 6/21

Coach Andy "Fat Bastard" Reid is an undeniably good HC, yet his reputation here at CF is clear indeed. This year's team is different from previous "16" white player rosters in where the players are concentrated. Most FB teams have been caste models with white OL's TE's and special teams. The difference this year and last, for that matter, is the influence of Matt "Rat" Nagy, also a CF favorite over the years. He loves his sumo linemen and so this year we are down to Creed Humphrey in the middle trying to coordinate all of the long-armed talent around him. New LT Josh Simmons actually looks not too terrible for a sumo, but that's all of the good news for OL coach Andy Heck who is like mini "Rat" in his preference and performance. New LG Kingsley Suamateia who replaces all-stud Joe Thuney is worse than you think, RG Trey Smith just got paid after being exposed in the SB, and RT Jawaan Taylor will take another shot at breaking the all-time record for personal foul penalties in a year.

QB Patrick Mahomes will at least have a competent backup QB after being beaten to a pulp every game. Of course if he can get enough zebra help it might be OK TE is a total white affair whether active roster or practice squad. Future HOF Travis Kelce looked good at camp and preseason. Lost some weight and looks faster. Hopefully his engagement to pop powerhouse Taylor (billionaire) Swift will have motivating effect on his game rather than a distraction. Noah Gray is a solid backup and sees a lot of action. Look for Robert Tonyan to be used a lot as a big WR. He was unstoppable in the preseason, seemed to be used kind of like Justin Watson only with more balls coming his way.

Defense is the biggest difference in the makeup of this squad. Steve Spagnuolo, one of the best DC's in the game seems to have a fondness for white guys. George Karlaftis is a solid DE and gets better every year. At LB Drue Tranquil is an every down player, Chenal is used as the 3rd LB and sometimes as a "hybrid" LB/DE and is a game wrecker. Jack Cockrane will spell Nick Bolton if he comes out, but that is rare. I'll be watching for Cooper McDonald as he was spectacular in preseason and was given high praise by the staff. Special teams are unchanged from last year, Winchester one of the best LS in the game, Butker a clutch kicker and "punt god" Araiza.

Total White Athletes on Roster (Starters in bold)
16 Whites total, with 5 starters. Grade: F+

QB - Gardner Minshew
TE - Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Robert Tonyan, Jared Wiley
C - Creed Humphrey, Hunter Nourzad
G - Mike Caliendo

LB - Leo Chenal, Drue Tranquill, Jack Cochrane. Cooper McDonald
DE - George Karlaftis

K - Harrison Butker
P - Matt Araiza
LS - James Winchester

IR - Jake Briningstool (TE), Ethan Driskell (OT)
PS - Cole Christiansen (LB), Ethan Downs (DE), C.J.Hanson (OL), Carson Steele ("FB")

Steele being banished to the practice squad to maybe never return to the active roster of this or any other team is particularly maddening. What talented black player would be benched pretty much permanently after 2 fumbles (and inconsequential ones at that)? He received a few carries after that along with some kickoff returns with decent results and NO MORE fumbles, but it's already too late apparently. The F+ grade for this years Chiefs team is generous and only for the defense.

 

[Don Wassall]

Entertaining as always. All the White TEs can make a team look a bit more palatable than it actually is. The Bengals are another team with four of them on the roster, which helps cover up the overall direction that team is slowly but inexorably heading.

Looks like Fat Bastard has returned after a year or two absence. The best of Reid is having Spagnuolo as his DC and the worst is having The Rodent as his OC, though all "extremes" when it comes to the Caste System and how ironclad it's been for so long are not all that far apart. With Steele and Justin Watson gone, the three White starters on defense are the only players left to root for along with Kelce. Creed Humphrey is one of the best at his position and he'll need to be in top form keeping the "long arms" lined up properly.

 

[FootballDad]

I paid a fair amount of attention to this team during camp and the preseason and it's pretty much all on Mahomes and the defense. The offensive line is offensive. LG Kingley Suamateia is bad. He's a blown 2nd round pick and is one of the worst players that I've seen. Taylor on the RT side is famous for his early starts, holding and being gloriously overpaid and bad. RB core is one Pacheco injury away from being non-existent. Don't even get me started on the fragile WR core. Lots of speed that will be sitting on the sidelines injured. 2nd year man Xavier Worthy might prove me wrong as I predicted he'd bust, but he's not nearly as good as Ladd McConkey who the Chiefs could have drafted.

Oh, the DL on this team is not very good. Bad against the run, on passing downs teams double Chris Jones and chip Karlaftis and they have all day. They'll be a decent team as the league on average isn't very good but it would take a Mahomes miracle to get this team back to the AFC CG, let alone the SB.