Roster Watch: 4 Chiefs Who Might Actually Survive Cuts

The Kansas City Chiefs’ run defense didn’t just lose to the Seattle Seahawks on Friday night it got steamrolled, flattened, and left gasping in a 33–16 preseason embarrassment. Of course, it’s preseason, so technically it “doesn’t matter,” which is a nice way of saying the Chiefs gave us nothing useful about the future of their defense.

The offense, though? That actually told us something. Usage patterns, snap counts, and who got the ball when all the good stuff you can actually read between the lines. And from that, a handful of players shoved themselves closer to the final roster.

Robert Tonyan, Tight End
Remember Robert Tonyan? Yeah, back in 2020 he was catching 11 touchdowns and looking like the next great red-zone weapon. Fast-forward to 2024, and he couldn’t even get Kirk Cousins to glance his way in Minnesota. Zero targets, like he was running routes in an empty stadium.

But apparently, in Kansas City, resurrection is possible. On Friday, Tonyan caught five balls for 41 yards and, more importantly, scored the Chiefs’ only offensive touchdown which isn’t saying much, but still beats disappearing altogether. Compare that to Jared Wiley, his main rival for TE3, who opened with one catch and then went into the witness protection program. Tonyan, at least, reminded everyone that he’s still alive.

Carson Steele, Running Back
The RB3/RB4 battle is technically a three-man race, but Carson Steele is busy making it look like a two-man pity fight between him and Elijah Mitchell. Steele’s supposed to be a fullback option, but Andy Reid clearly sees more he handed him the first carry of the game and let him rack up six touches before Mitchell even got a look.

And when Mitchell finally did? He rewarded everyone’s patience with a glorious 2.3 yards per carry and even managed to get stuffed for a safety. Not exactly résumé material. Meanwhile, Steele looked competent, which right now is more than enough to edge him ahead.

Brashard Smith, Running Back
Rookie Brashard Smith might as well already pack his bags for Week 1, because he’s not just making this roster he’s making it interesting. The kid started as a wide receiver at Miami, switched to running back at SMU, and now looks like the kind of Swiss Army knife Reid dreams about.

Sure, he’s still figuring out the position, but when you average 7.3 yards per carry, nobody’s asking for perfection. He matched Steele’s rushing yardage with fewer touches and also showed he can actually catch the ball two grabs for 16 yards. Considering neither Mitchell nor Steele scare anyone as receivers, Smith’s versatility pretty much locks him in. The fun part will be watching Reid find ways to weaponize him while the other backs fight for scraps.

Chris Oladokun, Quarterback
Let’s be clear: Chris Oladokun probably isn’t sneaking onto the Chiefs’ final roster unless Andy Reid decides a third quarterback is worth the real estate. But if he does, Oladokun suddenly looks like the favorite over Bailey Zappe.

The proof? Friday night, Oladokun went in before Zappe, sliding in as Gardner Minshew’s backup. Just one week earlier, that seat belonged to Zappe. Neither guy lit it up understatement of the year but preseason is as much about coach-speak and pecking order as box scores. And right now, Oladokun has the edge.

He’s got athleticism that Zappe doesn’t, and given how underwhelming Zappe has looked this preseason, “more experience” might as well mean “more opportunities to disappoint.” If the Chiefs keep three QBs, Oladokun’s suddenly the one with the pulse.