The 4 Most Surprising Players of the Kansas City Chiefs' Final 53

With the preseason in the books, all 32 NFL teams have trimmed their roster to 53 players.

All teams will have surprising cuts. Some cuts turn out to be more unexpected than others.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't surprise us with anything big. However, there were a few unexpected moves that were made.

In this slideshow, there are four Chiefs players who made the surprise list. As always, let me know what you think.

RB Jackie Battle

With Thomas Jones, Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster and Le’Ron McClain on the team, how much action will Jackie Battle receive?

McCluster has a new role with the team in which he’ll spend more time lining up in the backfield. The Chiefs know they can move the chains and gain yards with him in third-down situations.

Provided that McCluster can stay healthy this season after missing five games with a high-ankle sprain last year, it’s safe to assume that he’ll receive more than 18 carries next season.

Battle didn’t have an eye-grabbing preseason, but it’s likely that the Chiefs decided to keep him on the roster in case McCluster, or another tailback on the roster, suffers an injury.

CB Jalil Brown

It’s understandable that the Chiefs don’t want to release their fourth-round draft pick. However, Jalil Brown’s first preseason isn’t one he wants to remember.

After a good start against Tampa Bay, Brown allowed his receivers to make catches for big yards and was penalized twice against Baltimore.

With the strong level of talent the Chiefs have at the cornerback position in Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Javier Arenas on the team, Brown may see little action during his rookie season.

DE Amon Gordon

Amon Gordon is part of a Chiefs team which currently carries eight defensive linemen on the roster. In a 3-4 defensive scheme, eight defensive linemen is a lot.

Gordon had a quiet preseason and collected only five tackles in the four games he participated in. It’s obvious to everyone that Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson will start. The projected backups on the team are Wallace Gilberry and rookie Allen Bailey

Like Brown, Gordon may not receive a lot of playing time and could be a healthy inactive player in a few games this season.

OT Jared Gaither

This might be the more surprising player on the team who survived the cuts.

The Chiefs don’t have any viable options at the tackle positions behind Branden Albert and Barry Richardson. Many thought Jared Gaither would come in and challenge Richardson, but he hasn’t done so.

Gaither has barely participated with the team in training camp and in the preseason. Gaither began practicing with the team before the Chiefs hosted the Rams in Kansas City.

Gaither also played in the preseason finale against the Packers, but didn’t put on an impressive showing.

With Ryan O’Callaghan on the injured reserve, this opened up the door for Gaither. Gaither is currently the team’s only non-starting offensive tackle.

While playing for Baltimore, Gaither suffered a head injury against New England one month into the 2009 season and was placed on the injured reserve. Gaither did not appear in a game in 2010 with the Ravens and was eventually released during the season.

The Oakland Raiders invited Gaither for a tryout a week before Gaither signed with the Chiefs. The Raiders decided to pass on Gaither after he failed his physical.