Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs held the No. 1 spot in the waiver wire order.

This order, which corresponds with the NFL draft, gives teams that struggled the season before an opportunity to get their pick of the best players released from other teams.

!

Once a player is released from another team and as long as that player is not yet a vested veteran, he is subject to the waiver wire (Vested veterans who are released immediately become free agents).

This waiver wire "period" lasts 24 hours and teams can put a claim on a player who was released during that time.

Teams at the top of the order can claim as many released players as they would like as long as their roster doesn't exceed 53 players.  

If a player goes unclaimed through waivers, he can then be signed to a practice squad.

The Chiefs took advantage of their position at No. 1 last year and claimed seven players, routinely described as the "Magnificent Seven" by the Voice of the Chiefs, Mitch Holthus.

These players consisted of defensive lineman Jaye Howard, linebackers James-Michael Johnson and Dezman Moses, cornerbacks Ron Parker and Marcus Cooper, tight end Sean McGrath and receiver Chad Hall.

These seven players combined for 1,596 snaps for the Chiefs during the regular season last year. Parker, Cooper, Howard and Johnson should also contribute in key roles for the Chiefs this season.

This year, the Chiefs hold the 23rd spot in the waiver order.

Therefore, it will be more difficult for the Chiefs to claim whoever they would like as 22 teams with an unlimited number of claims are in front of them.

This is the price of success.  

As the Chiefs make roster announcements throughout the next 48 hours, we'll have you covered at KCChiefs.com.