The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to rest several starters and key players in their match against the Denver Broncos, which could result in a roster crunch in Week 18.
Just last season, the Chiefs rested practically a dozen players on the team’s 53-man roster in Week 18 after they clinched the No. 3 seed in the AFC. It left the roster rather depleted at certain positions and led to some personnel creativity because the NFL’s roster rules are rather archaic. Teams are allotted only two practice squad elevations per week, even in games where they’re resting numerous starters. There’s no greater example of how weird things can get in these scenarios than what happened back in the final week of the 2020 NFL season.
Former Chiefs DT Khalen Saunders took to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday to remind everyone just how wild things can get.
“one day imma tell my kids I’ve played MLB, WILL, NT, DT, TE, FB, RB, and Slot WR in the NFL and they are gonna think I got CTE,” he wrote.
After an injury to former Chiefs LB Willie Gay Jr. in the opening quarter of Week 17’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, the 320-pound Saunders was thrust into action, moving from his starting DT spot to play. . . linebacker. Ben Niemann was inactive for the game, and the only other healthy linebackers the team had active were Damien Wilson and Darius Harris. The funniest thing about it was that Saunders wasn’t half bad playing the position. He looked a lot more like a natural than some other NFL players who’ve played the position their entire careers.
Could we see some unique personnel groupings for Kansas City as they rest starters in Week 18 against the Broncos? I wouldn’t be shocked to see a few players playing out of position, switching from offense to defense and vice versa, and generally just having some fun in the regular-season finale.
Denver has everything to play for, and while the Chiefs seek to remain competitive, they’re also looking to protect players heading into the postseason. Thinking of that 2020 game against LAC, the Chiefs suffered injuries to Gay Jr., DeAndre Baker, and Rashad Fenton in that game alone. They should do everything they can to protect the players who are vital to the playoffs, even if they have incentives on the line.
