Chiefs’ roster suddenly filled with young receivers

By Mike Ash  |   Thursday, June 14, 2007  |  Comments( 15 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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For the past several seasons, the only real criticism one could muster of the Kansas City Chiefs' offense was that its wide receivers were nothing special. Names like Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker and Johnnie Morton don't strike fear into the hearts of NFL defenses -- or MMA fighters, in Morton's case.

But with Tony Gonzalez at tight end and runners like Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in the backfield, the Chiefs didn't need elite, game-breaking receivers. They simply needed solid wideouts with reliable hands who could take advantage of the single coverage they were often given. Few receivers in the NFL fit that bill as well as the underrated Kennison, who finished the 2006 season just 140 yards shy of posting his third straight 1,000-yard campaign.

But aside from Kennison and the occasional big game from departed return specialist Dante Hall, the receiver position in Kansas City has inspired more disappointment than optimism. Morton was decent but unspectacular, never living up to the free-agent contract he signed in 2002. Parker, a fourth-round draft pick in 2004, has been inconsistent. Yet the overall lack of options at the position pushed Parker into a starting role when Morton was released in 2005.

For a few years, the Chiefs had a host of second-string receivers -- names like Marc Boerigter and Chris Horn -- that would show occasional flashes of brilliance. But they were eventually released and haven't done much of anything in the league since. Craphonso Thorpe, a fourth-round pick in 2005, was cut last year and has spent his time bouncing around from the Texans to the Lions and, most recently, to the Colts.

When head coach Herm Edwards came to Kansas City in 2006, he ruffled feathers with Chiefs fans when he suggested that the offensive system run by Dick Vermeil and Al Saunders was too complex. Many fans hoped Edwards would keep the high-scoring offense in place and simply fix the defense that was consistently among the worst in the league. For a variety of reasons, though -- most notably the loss of several aging offensive players from the Vermeil era -- that won't be the case.

But fans who decry Edwards' decision should keep the receiver position in mind. The Chiefs' inability to produce solid receivers under Vermeil may prove Edwards' point about the drawbacks to that complex system. When former Chiefs receivers routinely fail to catch on elsewhere in the league, it raises a natural question: Were they on Kansas City's roster because of their talent, or because the coaches simply needed receivers who understood the offense? If wideouts were being evaluated more for their knowledge of a system and less for their ability on the field, it's easy to understand why the Chiefs have had so much trouble producing them.

But as Kansas City prepares for training camp, the receiver position has been infused with a sudden burst of youth. Out of 11 receivers currently listed on the Chiefs' roster, seven of them are either in their first or second year in the league. Only Kennison, Parker and Rod Gardner -- a former first-round pick with the Redskins in 2001 -- are the exceptions.

Jeff Webb and Chris Hannon, both entering their second year in the league, are expected to compete for playing time during camp. First-round pick Dwayne Bowe will obviously be in that mix, as well. Four undrafted rookies will be battling for a roster spot, including Maurice Price -- who led the nation in receiving at Charleston Southern in 2006 -- and former Missouri WR Brad Ekwerekwu, who already appears to be impressing his coaches. And the Chiefs signed second-year receiver Brent Little to a contract on Wednesday.

For the first time in quite a few years, there appears to be reason for optimism at the wide receiver position in Kansas City. Edwards' feeling that a less complex offense will give young receivers more of a chance to succeed will unquestionably be put to the test as training camp gets underway.

And if just a few of those seven young receivers can develop into NFL-caliber talents, what has been long considered the Chiefs' biggest weakness on offense may quickly turn into one of the team's deepest positions.

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