Andy Reid has historically liked to carry six wide receivers into the regular season, this year there are three candidates for the spot.
As training camp heats up there are fierce competitions all across the board, not only for starting positions but also for crucial depth spots on the roster.
One of the key battles is for the last WR spot, which to some teams might not be a big deal but for a team like the Chiefs, that lean on pass heavy concepts to allow Patrick Mahomes to play to the best of his capabilities, the sixth wide out spot has a little more weight to it.
There is a good chance whichever player makes the active roster will have a chance to get some game action quickly.
Jody Fortson
Since he joined the team lat season Jody Fortson has enamored Chiefs fans with his size and ability to use it to create mismatches when he is on the field. His size creates an obvious advantage and despite the fact that the Chiefs have liked smaller faster players at the position, it would be a perfect opportunity for Andy Reid to create mismatches, and if on the field with Hill and Watkins could lead to Forton being single covered in the slot giving Mahomes a favorable matchup to throw to.
It would also prove to be effective to have another tall player in the red zone to take attention away from Kelce, but also give Mahomes a longer pair of arms to throw to. Fortson wins with size and separation, and if he produces in camp he could have a shot to make the active 53.
Gherig Dieter
Most people assume that the only reason Gherig Dieter is still on the Chiefs roster is due to his well documented close relationship with Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs offensive superstars. This is in fact not how any professional sports team operates, personnel decisions are cut throat, there are no popularity contests in the NFL.
Production and consistency are key and since he joined the Chiefs in 2018 Dieter has shown more than enough in his limited time playing to to have earned a spot on the roster. Dieter of the three players fighting for a spot is the best conventional route runner, but his release off the line is often times what gets him open.
Crisp and concise, he does all the little things well but he does have a little more burst in his breaks than most people think. In a season unlike any other familiarity and consistency could be key, which gives Dieter a good shot to remain on the roster.
Marcus Kemp
Marcus Kemp was just resigned to the Chiefs roster on Wednesday but he has just as much a chance as the other two players mentioned above to make the roster, and has spent more time on the roster than both of them also.
Kemp looked to make it again in 2019 but an ACL left, him sidelined for the season. The Chiefs released him after the Super Bowl but now it looks like the ACL is healed and he is back and ready to go. Kemp has good size at 6-foot-4 but he is sneaky in the open field.
He has a lot more speed than it seems, and he is good at using his size and strength to break tackles from smaller defensive backs. Kemp also does a good job of high pointing the ball on reps as well, which can give a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes an even larger window to throw at.
Bottom Line
While all these players have their own unique skill set it is important to remember that players at the bottom of the roster will often be relied upon for their capabilities on special teams, as coaches look for ways to fill out rosters.
This gives Dieter and Kemp an advantage because Kemp has been a solid player on special teams in the past and we have seen Dieter on a number of put and punt return looks in the past seasons.
While this is important it is also of note that Fortson is younger than the others and with is size and athletic ability he posses a much higher ceiling than the other two will.
Expanded rosters and practice squads should allow the Chiefs to keep all three in the building, but we will likely only get to see one suit up on game day. Camp is heating up and September 10th is almost here. Time to see who wants it more.
