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A Rundown Of New Kansas City Chiefs Signees Terrelle Pryor And Da’Rick Rogers

By Brett Gering

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The team hasn’t confirmed the purported signings, but ESPN’s Field Yates reports that the Kansas City Chiefs have signed quarterback Terrelle Pryor and wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers.

Regardless of the pros, cons and personal feelings, both deals boil down to low-risk, high-reward propositions. Pryor and Rogers were collegiate standouts, but off-field headlines derailed their respective careers.

So, in a nutshell, who did the Chiefs just sign?

Terrelle Pryor

Nov 3, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) drops back for a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, the most casual of sports fans are familiar with Pryor. He was a dual-threat demigod at Ohio State, and had he returned for his senior season, he would’ve been deemed a Heisman favorite.

However, after the passer learned that, due to the memorabilia scandal, his final year would kick off with a five-game suspension, he declared for the supplemental draft. You know the rest.

On the field, people tend to forget just how ridiculous Pryor’s talents are. He’s a 6’4, 233-pound quarterback who runs a 4.38 40-yard dash. More or less, when darting from Point A to B, he’s Calvin Johnson (relative to frame, speed, etc.).

That said, if he hopes to make his stay permanent, he’ll need to show progress from the pocket.

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Pryor can make every throw, but his velocity—and his accuracy, for that matter—seesaws due to flawed mechanics. He also tends to get happy feet the longer that he holds onto the ball.

The newcomer’s most pivotal feat will lie in dissecting coverage, though. Timing is a pillar of the West Coast offense—every second vital to a play’s success. If quarterbacks lag in surveying the field, plays take longer to develop and (primary) targets tend to break before passes are thrown. That, in turn, tends to bring about disaster, especially if the passer if quick to panic.

Basically, Pryor has a lot of a homework to do, but given his age and ceiling, it’d be premature to write him off.

While the Ohio State “scandal” will always be a stain on his resume, a number of other stars (Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, A.J. Green, etc.) have, to varying extents, been burned by similar offenses.

Regardless, Pryor appears to have matured since the ordeal. But even if that’s the case, the Chiefs, as currently constructed, have four backups vying for two spots.

Pryor can’t open the playbook soon enough.

Da’Rick Rogers

Rogers isn’t the household name that Pryor is, but if you only keep tabs on one of the two, make it the former.

It goes without saying that the 23-year-old’s road to the NFL was rocky. He walked onto Tennessee’s campus as Rivals’ No. 2 receiver in the country. By his sophomore year, Rogers was the focal point of the offense, totaling 1,040 receiving yards and snagging 38 more catches (67 total) than any other name on the roster.

And then he fell back down to earth.

Rogers failed multiple drug tests and was arrested on charges that stemmed from a bar fight. After a year at Tennessee Tech, he jumped to the big leagues and signed with the Buffalo Bills, who eventually waived him.

After a DUI charge, the same fate ultimately awaited him at Indianapolis. But unlike his time with the Bills, Rogers actually took the playing field as a member of the Colts.

Though he only participated in the last five—and was only targeted in the last four—games of the regular season, he made his presence felt.

In the first game in which he was thrown to, Rogers recorded six receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, he totaled 14 catches for 192 yards and the aforementioned touchdowns over the four-week stretch.

And while some locals may not remember, Rogers introduced himself to Chiefs fans just over a year ago.

In last season’s wild-card loss, Indianapolis’ comeback began on its opening possession of the second half. And on the fourth play of said drive, Rogers left his imprint on the game, leaping backward and outmuscling Sean Smith for a crowd-pleasing 46-yard reception.

A closer look:

Rogers isn’t your average journeyman. This a guy who, in his sophomore season at Tennessee ( his last), registered more receptions, yards and touchdowns than Cordarrelle Patterson did as a junior. (Coincidentally, the man who rifled passes to them, Tyler Bray, finds himself reunited with Rogers once again.)

Just last spring, draftniks were drooling over the wideout’s potential.

Bleacher Report’s Ryan Lownes notes:

"Rogers certainly looks the part of an NFL wideout. At 6’2 ½” and 217 pounds, he possesses a muscular build that has drawn comparisons to Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones.Not only does Rogers earn high marks for size, he was also one of the NFL Scouting Combine athletic standouts for his position.He turned heads with his workout, showing well in the vertical jump (39.5”), broad jump (11’0”), short shuttle (4.06) and three-cone drill (6.71)."

Obviously, all of that goes out the window if Rogers can’t escape his past.

But if he can? Andy Reid just found a new toy.

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