The preseason is closing, and fans can watch TV-like drama-filled roster cuts up until next week. A whisper of WHO is making rounds in the league. Like every HC around franchises, Andy Reid, too, is staring at the hardest task of all, finalizing his 53-man roster. Logic dictates that not everyone can shine and grab a spot. The Chiefs will shrink from 90 men to 53, meaning almost 41 percent of the team will vanish. Cuts are brutal and inevitable. Each NFL team must finalize its 53-man roster by Tuesday at 3 p.m. Central Time. The deadline is closing in, and the hydraulic press has been turned on.

Reid has spoken to the media as a premonition of the wave of changes. An X video titled, “Andy Reid’s advice for players on the edge of the roster ahead of the #Chiefs final preseason game,” captured the coach addressing the intense cuts. Reid is in the thick of it, breaking down a pros and cons list for his roster decisions. His message to the players fighting for a spot was straightforward: “Just make our job hard.”

Kansas City remains one of the most sought-after destinations in the league, and Reid credited his players for showing up every day. “I haven’t seen guys counting numbers and lines and doing all that stuff. They’ve come out and worked hard from the first guy to the last guy, and I’ve appreciated that and it’s a tough day. I mean that’s a part of the job you like but inevitably you gotta almost cut half a team so that’s that’s not an easy thing,” he said.

Andy Reid provided a reality check. “Everybody can’t make the team,” he explained. “They know that. I tell them that on Day 1 just make our job hard. Make it hard for Veach and his crew and the coaches to get rid of them.” Reid was pointing to general manager Brett Veach, who will lead the roster trimming after the preseason contest against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Reid admitted the process is grueling. “It’s a tough day,” he said. “That’s not part of the job you like, but inevitably you’ve got to cut almost half the team. So that’s not an easy thing.” Players released will get another shot, as scouts from across the league are evaluating film. It is judgment day, as pointed out by Chiefs wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster: “For a lot of (players), this is also for scouts, all other 31 teams to look at our film. So they’re getting evaluated.”

With D-day looming at Arrowhead, Reid has taken a magnifying glass.

What could Andy Reid’s roster look like?

Andy Reid spoke with reporters on Wednesday about the roster outlook before the Chiefs’ preseason finale. He confirmed that Kansas City will play its starters in the last exhibition game after questions surfaced about their availability. “There’s just a little bit longer wait here in between this game and the next game, and so I just think I’d rather give the guys a little bit more time in this game,” he explained. The Chiefs will open their season on September 5 in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Reid wants his starters sharp.

Reid also ruled out seven players due to injury. Edwards, Jack Cochrane, Jake Briningstool, Ethan Driskell, Nazeeh Johnson, Omarr Norman-Lott, and Jaylen Royals will not suit up.

The wide receiver unit remains one of the deepest groups on the roster, and the projections are hopeful. The top five of Rashee Rice, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and rookie Jalen Royals are locked in. If Kansas City keeps six or seven receivers, the next tier includes Nikko Remigio, Tyquan Thornton, and Jason Brownlee.

Skyy Moore has been shipped to the 49ers after failing to record a catch since December 2023. Thornton is flashing as a dangerous vertical threat for Patrick Mahomes, while Remigio continues to tighten his hold on the returner job.

The backfield is also overflowing with talent. Isiah Pacheco is back to full strength, and Kareem Hunt looks revitalized. The duo creates a difficult decision for the coaching staff. That situation could force veteran Elijah Mitchell onto the chopping block. With the Chiefs overloaded with talent, nobody wants to be declared the odd man out.