Going 9-7 on the 2014 season, the Kansas City Chiefs did not make the playoffs. While it is certainly disappointing to miss the post-season, led by running back Jamaal Charles and linebacker Justin Houston, the Chiefs have a solid young nucleus to build around.
While the Chiefs certainly have a lot of talent, they certainly lack at a couple of key positions. Quarterback Alex Smith does a solid job of managing the game for the Chiefs, but his lack of big play ability makes even the slightest deficits seem insurmountable. Smith’s starting job is unlikely to be jeopardy, but it also seems unlikely that the team is going to make a Super Bowl run under his direction.
The Chiefs did not complete one touchdown pass to a wide receiver last season. Think about that for a second. In a league where all-time passing records are getting shot down almost every season, the Chiefs' wide receivers did not catch a single touchdown pass on the year. That partly has to do with Smith’s lack of arm strength and willingness to go downfield, but the Chiefs having the league’s least exciting receiving core may have had something to do with that as well.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs made a couple of very interesting no-risk, high-reward moves signing quarterback Terrelle Pryor and wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers to one-year deals.
Pryor spent one season (2013) as the Oakland Raiders’ starting quarterback. In 11 games that season, Pryor completed 57.4% of his passes for 1,798 yards, seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Pryor also rushed for 576 yards and two touchdowns on 83 carries, good for 6.9 yards per carry average. Pryor did not play in 2014, after being cut by the Seattle Seahawks early in the season.
Pryor certainly had his struggles as a quarterback in Oakland, but is a fast and strong runner with a very strong arm. It is unlikely that Pryor unseats Smith as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, but if he gets a chance to prove himself, the upside is certainly there.
Rogers, who has had plenty of off-the-field concerns, is a 6-foot-2, 216 pound 23-year-old receiver with massive upside. Rogers spent the 2013 season with the Indianapolis Colts, and was a very productive asset towards the end of the season, and in their playoff run. It was not a huge sample size, but Rogers showed that he has the talent to make noise in the NFL.
Rogers was cut by the Colts in September of 2014 following a DUI arrest. While his risk off of the field is very real, Rogers is a very talented receiver who could quickly have an impact in Kansas City.
While these are two fairly minor signings, it is nice to see the Chiefs swinging for the fences on offensive players. The NFL is a passing league, where the vast majority of the most successful teams push the ball down the field through the air. It is hard to do the same with a check-down quarterback and an uninspiring crop of receivers. These two signings are small, but potentially very significant.