UCLA alum Carson Steele had the fourth-most rushing yards on the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie last season. However, Steele still had to battle for a spot on the 53-man roster this training camp.
The Chiefs wrapped up their preseason on Friday with a loss to the Chicago Bears but there’s still uncertainty about Steele’s roster spot, with ESPN and The Athletic both publishing 53-man roster projections for the Chiefs, with ESPN having Steele make the roster, while The Athletic has Steele being cut.
ESPN’s Nate Taylor has Steele surviving roster cuts due to his ability to serve as Kansas City’s fullback, a useful piece for the ever-creative Andy Reid.
“Reid is a disciple of the West Coast offense, which requires a tough, versatile fullback. The Chiefs have that in Steele, who can contribute in the run game and be a positive on special teams. The Chiefs could use Steele early while (Brashard) Smith adjusts to the speed of the NFL.” Taylor wrote.
Jesse Newell of The Athletic has Kansas City cutting the former Bruin and believes that the Chiefs will be looking to add to their running back room in trades and on waivers, rather than sticking with Steele, who averaged 3.3 yards per carry as a rookie.
Due to injuries to the Kansas City backfield, Steele made three starts his rookie season but failed to entrench himself as an integral part of the offense. Steele played with UCLA for just one season in 2023, scoring eight touchdowns with the Bruins and racked up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: ESPN and The Athletic disagree about Carson Steele roster spot on Kansas City Chiefs
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
