With Roster cuts looming in six days, the Chiefs’ current depth chart at the wide receiver position is challenging to follow. It appears they have four locks to make the field of six or seven, but one name, Nikko Remigio, is fighting to claim one of those spots.
Head Coach Andy Reid and General Manager Brett Veach’s biggest problem is that they rebuilt their wide receiver room this offseason. In doing so, a few of their previous choices to showcase their respective talents, which failed a year ago, might be in danger of being cut.
We know that heading into the anticipated roster cuts on Tuesday, Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Justin Watson will be in the top four on the depth chart and probably the four receivers Patrick Mahomes trusts the most.
After that, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Justyn Ross, and Nikko Remigio are battling for two or three spots on the roster.
Last season, the Chiefs experimented with keeping seven receivers on the roster, but it backfired because they tried too hard to get the ball to all of them. Once they simplified their offense in December, Toney, Moore, and Ross were regulated to game-day bystanders.
Fast forward to now, Veach did his job.
It’s up to Reid to determine who stays and who gets cut. However, he must also consider which player can help the Chiefs in the passing game and on special teams.
After his success in returning kicks against the Lions, Remigio is in the driver’s seat for a roster spot. His special teams coach, Dave Toub, made it clear he’d stand on the table and yell for Remigio, who he believes can be the leading man returning kick-offs this season.
However, Moore, Hardman, and Toney can also do it. Toney might be the team’s best return man. However, his inconsistent play, injuries, and general lack of attention have put his roster spot in jeopardy.
The Wild cards remain Ross and Moore. Along with Toney, they were given roster spots a year ago and had their moments, but they didn’t make the most of their opportunities. Reid and Veach must also consider that they invested high draft capital in Moore and Toney.
So where does that leave Remigio?
He’s had a great camp but dropped in the depth chart for Saturday’s game against the Lions. He struggled at times in the preseason opener, and despite making a big catch and nearly fumbling the ball after the completion, he didn’t see time on the field as a receiver until the second half against Detroit.
On Thursday, with the starters on the sidelines, he could get a starting nod, and he must have a good game against the Chicago Bears.
I’ve heard rumblings that the Chiefs will keep Moore. If that’s the case, Remigio’s roster spot will thin unless the team carries seven receivers.
Still, there’s a chance Toney, Hardman, or even Moore could get traded at the deadline, but I’m not sure what value they might have in the NFL. All three are role players and probably couldn’t track a starting spot with another team.
Veach often praised his 2023 class and hoped they would improve this season. However, the move to trade up to get Worthy and sign Hollywood in free agency suggests that there was more hope than reality.
This brings us back to Remigio, the camp star a year ago before his injury and claimed that mantle again this year, but he has no real NFL experience. Hardman made the Super Bowl-winning catch in February, Moore made a big play in the AFC Title game in 2022, and both he and Toney scored touchdowns in Super Bowl LVII.
In Ross, the Chiefs don’t have another tall, physical receiver with his talent on the roster, which muddies the water for Remigio.
So, whatever you feel about Remigio, and I am rooting for his roster inclusion, the Chiefs have tough choices to make, and none is more complicated than the decision to keep six or seven wide receivers again.
Either way, some good receivers will be cut, and I’m hoping Remigio is not one of them.
