Capitalizing on the Open Market

Andy Reid and John Dorsey with Clark Hunt

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The new regime at Arrowhead has a lot of work to get done.

The Kansas City Chiefs put a team out on the field in 2012 that was an absolute embarrassment. In fact, embarrassment isn’t even the word to best describe the epic struggles of the 2012 Kansas City Chiefs. Abominable, appalling, atrocious, and depressing are all words that legitimately describe the type of season the Chiefs just went through.

But there is hope. That hope comes in the form of NFL free agency and the NFL trade market. The Chiefs’ offensive struggles in 2012 had about 85% to do with the quarterback play, about 10% to do with the questionable play calling, and 5% to do with the weapons on the field. Let’s face some facts; Jon Baldwin probably will not be the next big time receiver as he was projected to be, the Chiefs current quarterback situation is arguably the worst in the NFL right now, and the primes of both Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe are essentially being wasted, who are both big time talents, due to the lack of team production the last few years.

But combining 2013’s free agency with some potential trades could significantly change the fortunes of the franchise. With players like Alex Smith, Percy Harvin, and Joe Flacco (who we have no shot at landing), potentially being available for the right price, the possibility of finally making a splash in the NFL playoff race become more and more likely. The Chiefs have to make big time acquisitions if they want to be taken seriously as a team. It all starts at the quarterback position. 

Alex Smith: Although he may not be the best quarterback to ever strap on a helmet, the former number one overall pick cannot possibly be any worse than the two “quarterbacks” the Chiefs fielded in 2012. Before his concussion this past year, Smith was leading the San Francisco 49ers and doing a borderline spectacular job at it. Before he was injured Alex was holding down an unbelievable 70.2% completion percentage which is just an insane number. He was also posting up 13 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions, which for Kansas City would have been MVP numbers. If Chiefs’ new general manager John Dorsey doesn’t pull the trigger on Alex Smith this offseason don’t be surprised to see West Virginia’s Geno Smith in a Chiefs uniform come next year. 

Percy Harvin: Before getting injured in week 9 of this past year, former rookie of the year Percy Harvin was putting up big time numbers in Minnesota, posting up 62 receptions, 677 yards, and 3 touchdowns. With the recent news that the Vikings might be open to trading Harvin this past week, a lot of NFL teams have started to consider the 24 year old WR as a possible weapon to add to their roster in 2013. The team that should have the most interest is the Kansas City Chiefs. Being able to add a dynamic player to an offense that already has a few pieces in place could instantly put the Chiefs’ offensive rankings in the company of the elite level offenses in the NFL, barring any catastrophic injury or terrible QB play.

The new regime at Arrowhead has a lot of work to get done. Adding a few players through trades or free agency could be a big start to getting Kansas City back on the map in the NFL.