Few spots available at wide receiver in Kansas City

By Clayton Wendler  |   Thursday, August 03, 2006  |  Comments( 5 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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The Kansas City Chiefs are perilously thin at wide receiver. Eddie Kennison is the team's only reliable veteran, and he's threatening to leave training camp if his contract demands aren't satisfied.

Despite all of that, the Chiefs don't appear to be overly concerned about the position. Not only will they likely stick with the inexperienced players they have now, they'll probably only keep two of them at most. The Chiefs had five wide receivers on the roster last year, with four making the active roster on Sundays.

This year, the Chiefs have hinted at the fact that they may keep only four. There's a good chance head coach Herman Edwards keeps an extra quarterback on the 53-man roster after the injury disaster he experienced at the position last year with the New York Jets.

Kennison and Dante Hall are locks. Third-year speedster Samie Parker probably has a firm hold on another roster spot. That leaves only one spot available, with several young players competing for it.

Second-year man Craphonso Thorpe and rookie Jeff Webb are the leading candidates. The Chiefs drafted Thorpe a year ago, but he spent most of last season on the practice squad, recovering from a broken leg suffered during his junior year at Florida State. He was considered to be a first-round talent before the injury.

Thorpe appears to be fully recovered in this year's training camp. If he's healthy, the Chiefs would easily field the most talented receiving corps they've had in years.

Webb lasted until the sixth round of the draft this year, but he brings a combination of size (6-foot-2) and speed (4.44 40-yard dash) that the Chiefs haven't had since they drafted Sylvester Morris. He left San Diego State as the second-leading receiver in school history with 234 receptions for 2,890 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The other candidates are all undrafted free agents and players on the bubble trying to catch on with a team. Jeris McIntyre and Nate Curry might be the best of the bunch. Both of them had solid seasons in NFL Europe this year.

Darrell Hill, Scott McCready, Chris Hannon and Kyle Brown are all long shots. Hill is in his second training camp with the Chiefs and McCready has spent several years in NFL Europe. Hannon and Brown are rookies.

If the Chiefs end up keeping only four receivers, Thorpe probably has the best shot at making the roster. Webb would then likely head to the practice squad, but any other NFL team could then steal him away from Kansas City. Do the Chiefs really want that to happen?

Most fans would probably like to see the team keep five wide receivers. Parker is expected to have a breakout year after excelling at the end of 2005 (27 catches during the final seven weeks), but if anything happens to either him or Kennison, the Kansas City Chiefs will need Webb and Thorpe to step up.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez is often split out wide, but he's getting older. The Chiefs need to take some pressure off Gonzalez in the passing game, especially if left tackle Willie Roaf stays retired.

Hall isn't a suitable replacement, either. Edwards has expressed a desire to get the ball to Hall more on offense this year, but at 5-foot-8 he's a difficult target to locate. He also needs to be kept fresh for his return duties.

Even if the Chiefs only keep four wide receivers, fans can count on the best of them making the roster. Former coach Dick Vermeil often played favorites, sticking with marginal veterans like Chris Horn and Marc Boerigter for years. Edwards has stated that the best players will make the roster, regardless of age or draft status.

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