I do hereby charge Brett Veach, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs with the Depth Charges of:
- Conspiracy to Commit No Depth,
- Assault Without a Back-up,
- Fraudulent “Next-Man-Up,” and
- Indecent Exposure of the Cap
Don’t be confused, on Saturday I penned a piece called, “Chiefs: Never Mind, Rome WAS Built in a Day” which may have been too “Rah-Rah-Sis-Boom-Bah” for some of you but at least I did point out that Andy Reid needs to give up playcalling (for those who read to the end of that piece). I know that piece paints a picture of my being overly positive about all the moves the Chiefs have made this year but believe me when I say, “Bah-Humbug” because there’s a very good chance that if any of the Chiefs front line players gets hurt, the season is doomed.
Sorry to break it to you that way but, it all comes down to “depth.” So, let’s take a peak at where exactly the Chiefs are lacking in the depth department.
Chiefs Quarterback Depth
If Patrick Mahomes goes down for more than two games it is likely going to mean, “wait until next year” for a playoff run. 2nd String QB Chad Henne will begin his 10th season in the NFL this year and has started 53 games with a 59.3 completion percentage. That may sound like he’s ready to step in at a moments notice but he had 58 TDs with 63 INTs so don’t get too excited. 3rd string QB Matt McGloin will be starting his 5th year in the league. He’s started 7 games with a 58.1 passing percentage, 11 TDs and 11 INTs.
My hope is that 4th string UDFA rookie QB Chase Litton can progress and become the back-up next year. With 72 TDs and 31 INTs in college, at 6-foot-6 and 232, he looks the part so far.
Chiefs Wide Receiver Depth
If Tyreek Hill or Sammy Watkins goes down, the next man up is Chris Conley (at this point) and that is a huge drop off, even if Conley comes back and plays at his previous level. Following Chris Conley on the Depth Chart are: Demarcus Robinson, Jehu Chesson, De’Anthony Thomas, and then in no particular order… Marcus Kemp, Byron Pringle, Daniel Braverman, Elijah Marks, Davon Grayson, and Gehrig Dieter.
Chiefs Tight End Depth
The problem I have with tight end depth in 2018 is that the 2013 problem at tight end depth is one in the same. Like many of you, I’m still wondering when the Dr. Frankenstein experiment we call Demetrius “Look-Ma-No-Hands” Harris is going to come to an end. In the meantime, the Chiefs are trying their hand at a resurrection with Jace Amaro, while they also have tight ends Tim Wright and Alex Ellis on the roster. The player I’m hoping makes a breakthrough is UDFA Blake Mack who at 6-foot-2, 235, may be able to serve as a third WR as well as a second TE. However, once again, if el numero uno final dificil (Spanish for: “the #1 TE) goes out for any reason, the Chiefs will be stuck riding a… horse with no name. BTW… Frankenstein’s monster is beginning his 5th year with the Chiefs.
Chiefs Offensive Line Depth
Super OL Back-up Zach Fulton is now in Houston toting a hefty contract. The Chiefs have drafted a defensive lineman… who is also a Raider’s son… to fill that void along the offensive interior. Who knows when he might be ready. Many OL who are drafted early don’t make it on the field in their rookie season in the NFL so it’s probably not going to be Kahlil McKenzie who fills the Fulton void. Others favorites to choose from include: Parker Ehinger, Cam Erving, Jordan Devey and Bryan Witzmann. Others who are listed include, in no particular order: Andrew Wylie, Jimmy Murray, Tejan Koroma, Kelab Johnson, Ryan Hunter, and Dillon Gordon.
Before moving on to Defense, it looks like the only position that Veach & Reid have stocked up on is the running back position. I don’t know if that’s because there’s a glut of Free Agent RBs out there looking for work but the players they’ve chosen there can all catch the ball out of the backfield and appear to have good balance after contact… much like starter Kareem Hunt.
Chiefs Defensive Line Depth
With Chris Jones and Allen Bailey set at the DE positions, the Chiefs went out and got career back-up and K.C. native Xavier Williams to man the middle. Since the Chiefs released Rakeem Nunez-Roches last week, it looks like Jarvis Jenkins may be the first man off the bench. Both rookie draftees, Breeland Speaks and Derrick Nnadi will probably get DL rotation minutes in their first year, this may be the position with the least amount of depth on the team… simply because there is no one with starting experience in the middle at the nose. Other DL who will get a look in training camp are: T.Y. McGill and Dee Liner and that’s it. Even the thin depth is, thin in deed.
Chiefs Outside Linebacker Depth
Justin Houston is here to stay and so is his $20.6M cap number (tops on the team). Dee Ford is back but no one knows if he’s back and can play, or back and he won’t play. Breeland Speaks will also get snaps at OLB and so will Tanoh Kpassagnon and although no one knows what they’re capable of, we’re all excited to see if they’ve got anything worth writing home about. Others at the top of the list who are hoping to nudge their way into the line-up include Tyrone Holmes and Robert McCray.
Chiefs Cornerback Depth
With Kendal Fuller, Steven Nelson and David Amerson penciled in as starters, the depth at this point appears to be: Will Redmond, Keith Reaser and rookie Tremon Edmonds. Others hoping to jump onto the 53 man roster include: D’Montre Wade, Jordan Sterns, Arrion Springs, Step Durham, Makinton Dorleant , and Malik Reaves. The depth at cornerback can best be described as untried and unknown. The back-ups to the back-ups? Just… unknown.
Chiefs Safety Depth
There’s Eric Berry and we all know how great he is. He’s so great that he can play all the Safety positions at once. Well, maybe not. There are some who want to pencil in Eric Murray next to Berry but I’m not one of them. The Chiefs have one excellent Safety and that’s Berry. After that, there’s not much. This is perhaps the other position on the team that is devoid of depth because the starting positions aren’t yet filled. I’d like to pencil in Armani Watts but he’s a rookie and we can only hope he’s a good one. So, at back-up Safety there is: Daniel Sorenson, Ashton Lampkin, Leon McQuay, and Robert Golden.
With Terrance Smith already on board as a back-up ILB and since the Chiefs have Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens set as starters, then drafted Ukeme Eligwe last year and Dorian O’Daniel this year… I’m going to say they are set for depth at ILB.
The two positions that I can see Brett Veach going after players who are cut by other teams… on this side or the other of training camp… is Defensive Line and Safety. In fact, I’d be much more comfortable if he could swing for a trade or cut someone to make cap room for signing a starter at one or both of those positions.
After that… I say, Super Bowl here we come… or something like that.
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