Three injuries/suspensions could alter the decisions head coach Romeo Crennel makes when he trims the Chiefs' roster to 53: Brandon Flowers' nagging foot injury, Kendrick Lewis' shoulder injury and Tamba Hali's one-game suspension.
A week ago, only Flowers' foot injury was a concern for Crennel. Now all three may force the Chiefs to get creative with their roster.
Stock rising: LB Cameron Sheffield was most likely going to make the roster already, but now Sheffield is a sure thing with Hali out. The second-year outside linebacker did not play on Saturday against the Rams because of a groin injury and his stock still went up, as he is the best replacement on passing downs for Hali.
Stock falling: QB Ricky Stanzi should still make the roster as the No. 3 quarterback, but no one saw their stock fall more in Saturday's preseason loss to the Rams than Stanzi. The second-year quarterback threw an interception and his indecisiveness led to four sacks in his audition for the backup job. Crennel has not named Brady Quinn the winner, but that's now the assumption in KC.
QB -- In (3): Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn, Ricky Stanzi. Out: Alex Tanney. Analysis: Tanney has yet to get a snap in two preseason games. After Stanzi's performance on Saturday, maybe Crennel will give him a chance.
RB -- In (5): Jamaal Charles, Peyton Hillis, Shaun Draughn, Cyrus Gray, (FB) Shane Bannon. Out: Nate Eachus, (FB) Patrick DiMarco. Analysis: Draughn has received a lot of playing time in two preseason games and ran the ball seven times for 21 yards against the Rams. Gray missed the game because of a foot injury. If only one of the two are kept, it would make more sense to keep Gray for his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as a third-down back. The only reason the Chiefs would go with Draughn is durability, but if Gray can get healthy, he's the favorite as the No. 3 back. At this point, expect the Chiefs to keep both around.
WR -- In: (6) Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston, Jon Baldwin, Dexter McCluster, Devon Wylie, Terrance Copper . Out: Jamar Newsome, Brandon Kinnie, Josh Bellamy, Aaron Weaver, Zeke Markshausen, Jeremy Horne, Junior Hemingway. Analysis: With Bowe now with the team, the Chiefs appear set at receiver. If they end up keeping a seventh receiver, Jamar Newsome or Jeremy Horne would be the leading candidates. Newsome has caught three passes in the preaseason and Horne caught a 37-yard TD from Quinn against Arizona.
TE -- In (3): Kevin Boss, Tony Moeaki, Jake O'Connell. Out: Steve Maneri, Tim Biere. Analysis: Maneri was a hot name a week ago after his three catches in the preseason opener against Arizona. He went unnoticed in the second preseason game and appears to be behind O'Connell.
OL -- In (8): Branden Albert, Donald Stephenson, Ryan Lilja, Jeff Allen, Rodney Hudson, Jon Asamoah, Eric Winston, David Mims. Out: Ray Willis, Rich Ranglin, Luke Patterson, Rob Bruggeman, Cam Holland, Darryl Harris, Justin Cheadle. Analysis: Willis retired last week and took himself out of the mix at tackle. Allen can play both guard and tackle, so if the Chiefs wanted to go with Stephenson as the only backup, they could. If they go with two backup tackles, Mims would be the last man in.
DL -- In (7): Glenn Dorsey, Amon Gordon, Anthony Toribio, Dontari Poe, Jerrell Powe, Tyson Jackson, Ropati Pitoitua. Out: Brandon Bair, Ethan Johnson, Jerome Long,, Allen Bailey. Analysis: The top seven are locked in. Powe has played well in the preseason and if he was questionable to make the roster before training camp, it appears he's locked in now.
LB -- In (7): Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Jovan Belcher, Brandon Siler, Justin Houston, Andy Studebaker, Cameron Sheffield, Edgar Jones. Out: Leon Williams, Caleb Campbell, Dexter Heyman, Cory Greenwood, Gabe Miller. Analysis: Hali's suspension makes depth at linebacker important to start the season. Studebaker will start in his place and Sheffield should see some action on passing downs. Edgar Jones has a shot to grab one of the final spots on the roster to provide depth at outside linebacker.
DB -- In (11): Brandon Flowers, Stanford Routt, Jalil Brown , Javier Arenas, Eric Berry, Abram Elam, Kendrick Lewis, Travis Daniels, DeQuan Menzie, Jacques Reeves. Out: Chandler Fenner, Tysyn Hartman, Dominique Ellis, Jean Fanor, Terrance Parks, Neiko Thorpe, Mikail Baker. Analysis: The Chiefs need numbers in the secondary and the good news is they have better depth this year than last year. Elam has taken over Lewis' spot at safety, which is the position where the Chiefs probably lack the most depth and could look to add another player.
Special teams -- In (3): Dustin Colquitt, Ryan Succop, Thomas Gafford. Out: Matt Szymanski. Analysis: Colquitt, Succop and Gafford are locked in as the three specialists.
Follow Chiefs reporter C.J. Moore on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLKC and @cjmoore4.