Kansas City Chiefs Official Team Website | Chiefs.com

It’s the deepest and most talented roster Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey has put together in his four years leading the organization, which is saying something. Over the past three years, the Chiefs have won 31 regular-season games and have been to the playoffs twice, winning their first postseason contest in more than two decades by beating the Houston Texans by a score of 30-0 in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs last year.They’ve done all of this with one of the youngest rosters in the league each and every year. Since Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid arrived four years ago, the Chiefs have ranked in the top eight each year in regards to youngest roster in the league. That will once again be the case in 2016. According to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com, the Chiefs will have the sixth-youngest roster in the league for the second straight year with an average age of just 25.54 years old. The decisions made in order to trim down the roster to the NFL’s mandated limit weren’t easy, and there are players who didn’t make the Chiefs roster who will find homes with other teams, which was the case with seven players last year. RELATED: Chiefs GM John Dorsey Explains Process of Roster Cuts But the 2016 version of the Chiefs is now set and can prepare for the San Diego Chargers, who come to town on Sunday, September 11, for the opening game of the 2016 regular season. It’s worth noting veteran safety Eric Berry still has a roster exemption and doesn’t count towards the 53-man roster right now. That exempt status is there until this coming Saturday. RELATED: Chiefs Announce 10-Player Practice Squad Dorsey and his staff also traded away two players before Saturday’s deadline in cornerback Marcus Cooper (Arizona Cardinals) and receiver Rod Streater (San Francisco 49ers), accumulating future draft picks for both. All that said, here’s a look at the players who will be representing the Chiefs this year (until other moves are made, which is inevitable): Quarterbacks (3) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 9 Bray, Tyler Tennessee 6-6 215 24 4 Foles, Nick Arizona 6-6 243 27 11 Smith, Alex Utah 6-4 217 32 The quarterbacks room is obviously led by veteran Alex Smith, who enters his 12th NFL season and fourth with the Chiefs and is looking to improve upon arguably the best season of his career in 2015. Smith completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,486 yards with 20 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions last season. It was the fourth time in his career that he threw for at least 3,000 yards, and three of those have come in his three years with the Chiefs.Nick Foles, who signed on August 4, and Tyler Bray round out the quarterbacks group. Interesting fact: During preseason action, Smith completed 32 of 46 (70 percent) for 354 yards and a touchdown, and almost half of those completions (15) resulted in gains of 10 or more yards. Running Backs (5) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 25 Charles, Jamaal Texas 5-11 199 29 34 Davis, Knile Arkansas 5-10 227 24 42 Sherman, Anthony Connecticut 5-10 242 27 32 Ware, Spencer LSU 5-10 229 24 35 West, Charcandrick Abilene Christian 5-10 205 25 It’d be hard to find a more talented group of running backs in the NFL than what the Chiefs currently have heading into 2016, and it begins with the return of veteran Jamaal Charles, who has already established himself as the best running back in franchise history and one of the best in NFL history. Charles is the franchise’s all-time leading rusher and holds the NFL record for highest average yards per carry (5.5) for a running back in a career. Alongside Charles is Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, who both proved last year they could handle the responsibility of carrying the offense if called upon. These two combined to rush for more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in the final 10 games of the regular season, which all resulted in wins.Knile Davis, who will always be remembered for his kickoff return touchdown to get things started in the playoff game last year against the Texans, rounds out the running backs group. Fullback Anthony Sherman returns as one of the leaders of that room and one of the best special teams players in the league. Interesting Fact: Charles has scored more touchdowns (38) than any other player in the NFL over the past three seasons, despite playing in fewer games than anyone ranked in the top five in that category. Wide Receivers (6) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 17 Conley, Chris Georgia 6-3 205 23 81 Hill, Tyreek West Alabama 5-10 185 22 19 Maclin, Jeremy Missouri 6-0 198 28 14 Robinson, Demarcus Florida 6-1 203 21 13 Thomas, De'Anthony Oregon 5-8 176 23 12 Wilson, Albert Georgia State 5-9 200 23 After finishing a 2014 season in which there were no receivers who caught a touchdown, the addition of free agent receiver Jeremy Maclin made all the difference for the Chiefs last year. In his first season, Maclin not only went over 1,000 yards with 8 touchdowns, but also, the 87 receptions he had were a franchise record for a receiver in a single season.Something that was widely reported over the offseason was that Maclin spent time training with young receivers Albert Wilson and Chris Conley, who are looking to take that next step in 2016. Rookies Tyreek Hill and Demarcus Robinson join De’Anthony Thomas to round out the receivers group. Interesting Fact: Per our friends at Pro Football Focus, Maclin finished with the best hands in the league last year, dropping just 1 pass on 120 targets, according to their numbers. Tight Ends (4) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 84 Harris, Demetrius Wis.-Milwaukee 6-7 230 24 87 Kelce, Travis Cincinnati 6-5 260 26 80 O'Shaughnessy, James Illinois State 6-4 245 24 88 Travis, Ross Penn State 6-7 235 23 The tight ends group is long and athletic and led by Travis Kelce, who signed a lucrative contract extension this past offseason after putting up another solid season in which he finished with 72 receptions for 875 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. Throughout training camp and the preseason, the Chiefs have often worked with multiple tight end sets with the first-team unit, and Demetrius Harris and Ross Travis have shown they should no longer be defined by their college basketball backgrounds, but rather their ability on the football field.Harris (4), Travis (2) and Kelce (5) each had multiple receptions from Smith this preseason, and the multitude of offensive packages the Chiefs will use this season is highlighted by the versatility of this group. O’Shaughnessy, who missed most of last season with a broken foot, returns as well. Interesting Fact: Kelce has 1,048 yards after the catch over the past two years, which ranks as the best mark in the NFL for a tight end and eighth best among all players over that time. Offensive Line (8) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 76 Duvernay-Tardif, Laurent McGill (Canada) 6-5 321 25 79 Ehinger, Parker Cincinnati 6-6 310 23 72 Fisher, Eric Central Michigan 6-7 315 25 73 Fulton, Zach Tennessee 6-5 316 24 61 Morse, Mitch Missouri 6-6 305 24 75 Reid, Jah Central Florida 6-7 325 28 71 Schwartz, Mitchell California 6-5 320 27 70 Witzmann, Bryan South Dakota State 6-7 320 26 The starting offensive line has been consistent throughout much of the offseason with Eric Fisher holding down the left tackle spot, rookie Parker Ehinger at left guard, second-year player Mitch Morse at center, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at right guard and the new guy, Mitch Schwartz, over at right tackle. Schwartz hasn’t missed a snap of football since entering the league as a second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns back in 2012 out of the University of California. Providing versatile depth are Zach Fulton and Jah Reid, who each started at different spots along the offensive line last season because of various injuries. The Chiefs also picked up offensive tackle Bryan Witzmann on waivers from the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Witzmann has spent time with the Texans, Saints and Cowboys after signing as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State in 2014. Interesting Fact: The average age of the Chiefs starting offensive line is just 24.8 years old, which ranks as one of the five youngest starting offensive lines in the league. Defensive Backs (9) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 27 Acker, Kenneth SMU 6-0 195 24 23 Gaines, Phillip Rice 6-0 193 25 21 Murray, Eric Minnesota 5-11 199 22 20 Nelson, Steven Oregon State 5-11 194 23 38 Parker, Ron Newberry 6-0 206 29 22 Peters, Marcus Washington 6-0 197 23 26 Russell, KeiVarae Notre Dame 5-11 196 22 49 Sorensen, Daniel BYU 6-2 208 26 24 White, D.J. Georgia Tech 5-11 193 22 Roster Exemption 29 Berry, Eric Tennessee 6-0 212 27 It’s impossible to talk about the defensive backs group and not start with the NFL’s reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, cornerback Marcus Peters, who is ready to begin his follow-up campaign after a stellar first season in which he tied for the NFL lead with 8 interceptions and led the league with 26 passes defensed. Veterans Ron Parker and Eric Berry hold down the rest of the defensive backfield with several young players looking to step up and make a difference this year, including safety Daniel Sorensen and cornerbacks Phillip Gaines and Steve Nelson.The Chiefs recently traded for cornerback Kenneth Acker, who played more than 70 percent of the defensive snaps for the 49ers last season. Rookies KeiVarae Russell, Eric Murray and D.J. White are in the mix as well. Again, Berry currently has an exemption and does not count towards the 53-man roster. Interesting Fact: Parker is the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks by a defensive back with 7.Linebackers (9) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 57 Alexander, D.J. Oregon State 6-2 233 24 55 Ford, Dee Auburn 6-2 252 25 91 Hali, Tamba Penn State 3-3 275 32 56 Johnson, Derrick Texas 6-3 242 33 59 March, Justin Akron 6-0 222 23 54 Moses, Dezman Tulane 6-2 249 27 52 Nicolas, Dadi Virginia Tech 6-3 235 23 53 Barrington, Sam South Florida 6-1 236 25 51 Zombo, Frank Central Michigan 6-3 254 29 When it comes to the inside linebackers group, Derrick Johnson leads the way. He’s one of the unquestioned leaders of the team and has helped bring along two young and talented second-year linebackers in Justin March and D.J. Alexander. Former Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Sam Barrington was claimed on waivers by the Chiefs on Sunday afternoon. He’s a former seventh-round pick of the Packers back in 2013 out of the University of South Florida.On the outside, Tamba Hali leads the way as one of the best pass rushers in franchise history, currently ranking second all-time in career sacks with 86, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas (126.5). It was announced recently that Justin Houston was placed on the PUP list, which means he’s out for at least the first six weeks of the season. Veterans Frank Zombo and Dezman Moses, along with former first-round pick Dee Ford and rookie Dadi Nicolas round out the outside linebackers group. Interesting Fact: During the preseason, rookie sixth-round pick Dadi Nicolas played 99 defensive snaps and had 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 6 quarterback hits. Defensive Lineman (6) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 97 Bailey, Allen Miami (Fla.) 6-3 288 27 96 Howard, Jaye Florida 6-3 301 27 95 Jones, Chris Mississippi State 6-6 308 22 99 Nunez-Roches, Rakeem Southern Mississippi 6-2 307 23 92 Poe, Dontari Memphis 6-3 346 26 98 Williams, Nick Samford 6-4 309 26 Perhaps the deepest and strongest part of the roster is at defensive line, where the three starters—Jaye Howard, Allen Bailey and Dontari Poe—have proven themselves to be difference-makers up front. Last year, the Chiefs defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL in third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 situations, allowing conversions just 44.4 percent of the time (NFL average was 66.6 percent). Nick Williams and Rakeem Nunez-Roches add quality depth and should find some time in the rotation, while rookie second-round pick Chris Jones had a phenomenal preseason and should be able to contribute right away. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones has been the top-rated rookie 3-4 defensive end in the league this preseason. Interesting Fact: Over the past three years, Poe hasn’t played less than 74 percent of the snaps in any one season, including two years (2013, 2014) in which he played more than 89 percent of the total snaps. Specialists (3) # Name College Ht. Wt. Age 41 Winchester, James Oklahoma 6-3 240 26 2 Colquitt, Dustin Tennessee 6-3 210 34 5 Santos, Cairo Tulane 5-8 160 24 The Chiefs didn’t bring in another kicker, punter or long snapper to compete with any of the incumbents this offseason. Interesting Fact: Dustin Colquitt’s 81-yard punt against the Chargers back on December 2, 2007, still stands as the longest punt in franchise history. Quick Breakdown of the roster: Total Offensive Players (26) - Quarterbacks (3) - Running Backs (5) - Receivers (6) - Tight Ends (4) - Offensive Linemen (8) Total Defensive Players (24) - Defensive Line (6) - Linebackers (9) - Defensive Backs (9) Berry has roster exemption and doesn't currently count towards 53 * Specialists (3) - Kicker (1), Punter (1) and long snapper (1) **

Kansas City Chiefs Official Team Website | Chiefs.com

2016 Kansas City Chiefs Roster: Breaking it Down

Here's what you need to know about what the Chiefs have done over the past few days