On Wednesday Mitchell Schwartz Jersey , three players spoke of their time with the Chiefs in the same way —otsCommunityAboutStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteSeries Dixon’s MailbagStagner ThingsSummer of SpagsLottery Tickets ’19Training Camp NotebookTailgatesLatest News Fanposts Most recentMost activeFanshots Community Community GuidelinesContactAbout StubHub ✕For three of their players, it’s a dream come true to play for the ChiefsNew,13commentsOn Wednesday, three players spoke of their time with the Chiefs in the same way — but for different reasonsCDTAfter the Kansas City Chiefs finished their minicamp practice on Wednesday, the media questioned several Chiefs players.A common theme emerged: it’s a dream come true to play for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019.For cornerback Charvarius Ward, it’s easy to see why.Signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State after the 2018 NFL Draft, he was seen as expendable at the conclusion of training camp.The Cowboys — shorthanded on the offensive line — were happy to trade Ward to the cornerback-needy Chiefs in exchange for guard Parker Ehinger.But that’s not how Ward sees it.”It’s a dream come true,” he told the press on Wednesday. “The Chiefs gave me opportunity. The Cowboys also gave me opportunity, but the Chiefs believed in me more. They traded for me, so coach Reid and Brett Veach [saw] a lot in me. They gave me opportunity. I respect them for that. I thank them for that. And I’m going to prove them right.”Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsRunning back Carlos Hyde said the same thing — but for a somewhat different reason.Hyde is now on his third team in two seasons.After spending four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers — where he was a fairly productive player as both a rusher and receiver — Hyde was allowed to walk after 2017.He signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns, but was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth-round draft pick midway through the 2018 season. The Jaguars released Hyde in early March.Neither the Browns or the Jaguars were particularly interested in using Hyde as anything but a rusher.But the Chiefs have a different idea about how running backs should be used, and Hyde said it would be the answer to his dream to make the team.”For a running back like me who likes to catch the ball — I mean, I pretty much like to do it all — it’d be like a dream come true,” he said. “It’s not just a one-dimensional running back here. You do it all. You’re running as a receiver. You’re actually running real routes — not just as a decoy. Go back in the backfield, run the ball, block — you do it all. So you get to really showcase your ability.”I had a little success catching the ball with Shanahan,” he said of his time with the 49ers. “That was the first real time I got to show my hands a little. But ever since then, I’ve been focused on catching the ball more. Coming to [the Chiefs], I didn’t know that they used the running back so much in the passing game until I got here. But it put a smile on my face. Now I’m in another offense where I can really showcase my hands — really take ownership on that issue.”Whether or not Hyde will make the final roster remains to be seen.But he has confidence he can do it.”I’ve played in seven different offenses,” he said. “I figured a way to make it work. So I think I can do the same thing here: figure a way to make things work for me.”Even though he didn’t realize that the Chiefs would want to make use of all of his skills, Hyde said that he was all-in on coming to Kansas City.“It was kind of my decision,” he said. “I had other teams that I could have looked into, but I saw that previous running backs had success in Kansas City with Coach Reid, so I felt like this was a good place for a running back to get on the right track. Working with [offensive coordinator] Eric Bieniemy, [running backs coach] Deland McCullough — those guys are definitely going to help me get on the right track.”Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsCenter Austin Reiter was asked if he is cherishing his time in Kansas City.”I think that sometimes I have to sit back and realize that,” he replied. “Day to day, I’m just here. I put my head down. I work. I grind. That’s really the best thing you can do — at least in my situation. For me personally, that’s how I’ve always been — and things have ended up working out pretty well for me. Sometimes I’ve got to pick my head up out of the water and be like, ‘I really am with these guys.’”Reiter has plenty of reason to revel in those moments.Drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 draft, Reiter spent his first NFL season on the practice squad of the Washington Redskins.Going in to the 2016 season, the Redskins tried to stash him there again, but the Browns swooped in to grab him.After two seasons in Cleveland where he started just a single game, Reiter was waived as the 2018 season began. This time, the Chiefs were there to pick him up.Coming into 2018 as the presumptive starting center after he performed admirably stepping in for Mitch Morse — who has since left in free agency — Reiter says that the appreciates his teammates on the offensive line.”I think we all want to have fun, but I think the best part of our room is that everybody really wants to work hard,” he said. “We go out there — and I know Coach Heck does a tremendous job with us — but he never faults us on our effort. We always have things to work on De’Anthony Thomas Jersey , but I think the greatest attribute in our room is the effort all around. Everybody wants to get better. Everybody wants to be the best.”But Reiter said that Mitchell Schwartz is already the best.”He’s kind of like another quarterback out there, to be honest,” he said of Schwartz. “When we do blitz drills or we get certain looks on defense — our defense right now is flying around, hiding coverages — to have a guy that’s played over 100 games and is that smart with what he can see is almost like having another quarterback.”Reiter said that he agrees with those who consider Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to be a generational player.But Reiter sees Schwartz as a generational player, too — and also said he’s glad to finally be working alongside right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.”It’s great. It’s good to get reps with Larry now,” Reiter said. “He’s a physical player — great strong hands. He gets his hands on guys, which is awesome in pass protection and helps me out. I saw his comments yesterday [about] learning to keep our feet out of each [other’s way]. It’s kind of a battle there when you start playing with new guards and centers. But I’m extremely satisfied with what we’ve done in these last seven or eight weeks.”From the outside, it might appear that the Chiefs’ success in 2018 was all about Patrick Mahomes.That’s the narrative we’re hearing from national voices — and no one could reasonably dispute that Mahomes’ contributions played a huge role in what the Chiefs accomplished last season.But after listening to these players speak on Wednesday, it might be time to think the reasons for the team’s success might go deeper than that. The 90-man roster released Monday can help us get a glimpse of what we might see in September"With the release of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 90-man roster on Monday, we finally have a rough picture of the players the Chiefs will use to construct their final 53-man roster this fall.There’s every reason to expect there will be more changes as we continue through the offseason — one new player has already been signed since the roster was released — but we thought it would be illuminating to use the 53-man roster from the beginning of September as a guide to break down the 90-man roster by position, and help us see where the team might be headed in 2019.Offensive lineSeptember: Mitch Morse, Bryan Witzmann, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Kahlil McKenzie, Eric Fisher, Mitch Schwartz, Andrew Wylie, Jordan Devey and Cam Erving.The Chiefs started the season with nine offensive linemen: a center, three guards, three tackles and two swing linemen.Almost immediately, Witzmann was released, swing lineman Cam Erving took over at left guard, and Austin Reiter was brought up.Erving, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Kahlil McKenzie, Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz, Andrew Wylie, Dino Boyd, Ryan Hunter, Pace Murphy and Justin SeniorThe Chiefs currently have 13 offensive linemen on the roster.All five of last year’s starters are likely to return.Reiter will face competition from seventh-round pick Allegretti, but Allegretti could just as easily make the team as a swing lineman; think of him as taking Devey’s spot. McKenzie — who was on the active roster, but inactive for every game in 2018 — seems to be a player the Chiefs want to keep developing.Wylie is likely to make the team as a backup tackle.That makes eight.Five players — all but Murray listed as tackles — will likely be competing for the last spot on the offensive line.Tight endSeptember: Travis Kelce and Alex EllisDemetrius Harris wasn’t on the opening roster because he was set to serve a suspension in Week 1.He replaced Ellis in Week 2.Now: Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, John Lovett, Deon Yelder and David WellsFive tight ends are now on the roster.Kelce is obviously a lock.Many expected — perhaps hoped — the Chiefs would get a tight end in the draft Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Jersey , but that didn’t happen.So now it looks like four players will compete to back up Kelce.Bell — with NFL playing experience — would seem to have the inside track, but Lovett is a wild card.The Chiefs seem to think this former college quarterback — like both Kelce and Bell — has potential as an NFL tight end or H-back.Andy Reid is always thinking.Running backSeptember: Kareem Hunt, Spencer Ware, Damien Williams, Darrel Williams, Anthony ShermanThe Chiefs started the season with five running backs — including fullback Sherman.With the release of Hunt and another injury to Ware, Damien Williams was the starter by season’s end, backed up by Darrel Williams and the returning Charcandrick West.Now: Damien Williams, Carlos Hyde, Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson, James Williams, J.D. Moore, Marcus Marshall and Anthony ShermanThe Chiefs have eight running backs on the roster.It’s easy to guess Damien Williams will return as the starter with Hyde as his main backup — although it’s not very hard to imagine those roles could be reversed.With Aaron Ripkowski’s release after his early offseason signing, it seems clear that Sherman will again be the team’s fullback.The Chiefs have seemed high on Darrel Williams, but they seem high on sixth-round pick Thompson and UDFA James Williams, too.It comes down to this: five players will be competing for two backup positions, and it looks like it will be an interesting battle.Note: Marcus Marshall was signed after the release of the first 90-man roster.At this writing, the corresponding roster move is unknown.Wide receiverSeptember: Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Chris Conley, Demarcus Robinson, De’Anthony Thomas, Marcus KempThe Chiefs began 2018 with six wide receivers.Thomas was injured early in the season, and Watkins’ availability was inconsistent throughout the year, which allowed Gehrig Dieter to see playing time.Now: Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Marcus Kemp, Gehrig Dieter, Mecole Hardman, last year’s linebacker corps.Jones, Nnadi, Clark and Okafor (or Ogbah) look like the starters, with returning veteran Williams and third-round pick Saunders backing up the starting tackles. Either Okafor or Ogbah — along with Speaks and Kpassagnon — will compete for the two backup defensive end positions.Right now it looks like Speaks or Kpassagnon will be mutually exclusive; if one of them makes the team, the other probably won’t.LinebackerSeptember: Justin Houston Ron Parker Jersey , Dee Ford, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Breeland Speaks, Anthony Hitchens, Reggie Ragland, Ben Niemann, Dorian O’ Daniel and Terrance SmithLast season, the Chiefs started with nine linebackers to run the 3-4.We’re guessing they’ll carry seven to run the 4-3 Under.Now: Damien Wilson, Jeremiah Attaochu, Reggie Ragland, Ben Niemann, Anthony Hitchens, Dorian O’Daniel, Rob McCray, Martrell Spaight, Raymond Davison, Darius Harris and Gary JohnsonExactly how Spagnuolo will arrange his Sam, Mike and Will linebackers in his 4-3 Under scheme is shrouded in mystery.For guidance, I reached out to our Craig Stout, who thinks the Chiefs will go with Wilson and Attaochu as the starter and backup at Sam, Ragland and Niemann at Mike, and Hitchens and O’Daniel at Will.But Craig also thinks the Chiefs would be better off with Hitchens and Ragland as the Mike linebackers, with O’Daniel and Johnson as the Will players.So while we don’t yet know how they’ll be lined up, it looks like Wilson, Attaouchu, Ragland, Hitchens and O’Daniel have the best chance at the first five roster spots, with Niemann and Johnson leading the other six linebackers competing for the last two.Defensive backSeptember: Kendall Fuller, Steve Nelson, Orlando Scandrick, Tremon Smith, Charvarius Ward, Eric Berry, Armani Watts, Eric Murray, Jordan Lucas Allen Bailey Jersey , Daniel SorensenThe team started 2018 with 10 defensive backs — five cornerbacks and five safeties.Berry was “day-to-day” until the final games of the year, Watts was lost to injury early on, and the secondary was basically a mess — although both Ward and Lucas showed flashes late in the year.Now:Kendall Fuller, Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward, Keith Reaser, Tremon Smith, Rashad Fenton, Tyrann Mathieu, Armani Watts, Juan Thornhill, Jordan Lucas, Daniel Sorensen, Leon McQuay, Jalin Burrell, Mark Fields, Dontae Johnson, Harold Jones-Quartey, Dakari Monroe and D’Montre WadeThe Chiefs have acquired a lot of players to try and upgrade this position group for 2019 — 18 defensive backs are now on the roster.Fuller and Breeland look like the likely starters at cornerback, followed by Ward, Reaser, Smith and/or possibly Fenton.Smith has so far seen little NFL experience at his position, so it will be interesting to see if he continues to get a lot of work as a kick returner, or if Fenton (or possibly Hardman) gets more of that work in 2019.Mathieu is clearly a lock at starting safety, but there are a lot of players lined up who could conceivably be starters alongside him.Watts now seems like the safest bet as the other starter, but cases could also be made for the just-drafted Thornhill, Lucas and Sorensen.SpecialistsSeptember: Harrison Butker, Dustin Colquitt and James WinchesterNow: Harrison Butker, Dustin Colquitt, Jack Fox and James WinchesterNot much to see here.The Chiefs clearly feel comfortable with Butker and Winchester; no players are on the roster to challenge them.The team is doing its due diligence with Fox, but Colquitt is likely to remain as the old man of the team.That’s how the 53-man roster looks to us right now.How does it look to you?