There Are Still Some Holes
By author
Watching the Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night I was able to get a glance at the depth, or lack thereof, that the Chiefs currently have on the roster.
After being involved in free agency early with the signing of Steve Breaston, it seems like the Kansas City Chiefs search for free agents has slowed to crawl. The first week of free agency saw the Chiefs sign three significant free agents, with a fourth and fifth being signed at the during week two.
Although the Chiefs did address several position of need through the NFL Draft and free agency, there are still several holes that should be looked into.
Nose Tackle
The biggest and most glaring hole on the Chiefs roster is nose tackle. The Chiefs lose veterans Ron Edwards and Shaun Smith along the defensive and decided to passed on the Aubrayo Franklin sweepstakes. Instead the Chiefs brought in a ten year veteran who may or may not be on the decline.
Kelly Gregg was brought in having played nine years with Baltimore compiling 124 games started and recorded 19.5 sacks. The problem with Gregg is that he will be 35 next season, and he was just cut by the Ravens, a team who he had played most of his career with.
Gregg is a veteran who knows his position quite well and is known for being a good mentor. It appears Gregg was brought in to fill a need on a short term basis while he mentors and prepares rookie Powe for the position in the future. While this was a step in the right direction, the Chiefs need to continue to try and improve this position.
Backup Safety
The Chiefs are set at both free safety and strong safety for years to come. Kendrick Lewis proved that he may have been one of the steals of the draft in 2010, as he started 10 games last year and played well.
Behind Eric Berry and Lewis however, is NFL journey man Jon McGraw and Reshard Langford. Langford has seen very little playing time while in Kansas City. McGraw may be a great veteran leader, and know the defense better than any other player, but his skills are just not up to par.
The Chiefs need to look to bring in another veteran safety with a little more left in the tank and a little more to contribute than McGraw. The Chiefs should look at a veteran player such a Lawyer Milloy.
Backup Quarterback
Matt Cassel is the only quarterback with NFL playing experience on the roster. If Cassel goes down the Chiefs would be relying on last years practice squad quarterback Tyler Palko, or rookie quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
There are also rumblings that Head Coach Todd Haley is very high on Tyler Palko. Palko was second string last night and played most of the first half. With a shortened training camp, expect Palko to be the backup quarterback this season. As a three-year starter for Iowa Stanzi demonstrated good ability to read coverage’s and makes the right decisions. However this is the NFL and relying on a 5th round pick would not be a wise decision.
The Chiefs should consider bring in a veteran quarterback who could run the offense effectively if Cassel goes down. A player such as Todd Collins, former Chief and 17 year veteran of the game, could be a good option.