Should Chiefs trade Chase Daniel?

As the preseason continues and drags on, and (knock on wood) the Kansas City Chiefs are able to avoid any serious injuries, much of the discussion that hasn’t been about the offensive line has focused on the play of quarterbacks Alex Smith and current backup and former Missouri Tiger Chase Daniel.

While Smith looked anything but impressive until Friday night, Daniel has looked almost surgical moving the offense up and down the field. Some talk locally had even picked up to whether Daniel should replace Smith as the starter. Much of the scuttlebutt, though, has focused on whether the Chiefs should possibly look to trade Daniel approaching the cut down date. So, bowing to public pressure, this column will join in with others and exploring what exactly the Chiefs should do with Daniel.

First off, Daniel should not, in any way, be the starting quarterback of this football team without an injury limiting Smith’s availability. For those thinking and saying he’s the second coming, the only player he’s the second coming of is Brady Quinn. That is not an insult to Daniel, just reality. Lets move forward.

Editor’s note: Brady Quinn? Damnnnnnnnn, John. Brutal stuff.

As we move the discussion forward about the Daniel trade possibilities, the reality of the situation comes down to the team’s views on Smith and the value of Daniel. The discussion of trading Daniel is all about his return. Simple as that. If the Chiefs can land a high-draft pick, obviously, Daniel will be traded. But this needs to be pointed out. If the Chiefs had received a high or even fairly high offer for Daniel in the offseason, he is not a Chief currently. Let’s explore what Kansas City could get for him, and just who may be interested in Daniel.

Teams like the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, and possibly the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers come to mind initially as teams that could possibly be interested in Daniel in a trade. Considering I feel Daniel is more Quinn than Smith, his value isn’t of a starting quarterback. That is simply a surface view of teams that could use a veteran backup quarterback.  Now that we’ve established that, let’s explore his value.

First off, we have to establish he’s not worth a big draft pick. If a team wanted or needed a starting quarterback or someone to compete for a starting quarterback, again, Daniel would already have been dealt. More likely, the discussion goes back to another point I made earlier, what do the Chiefs (in this case, you the reader) value Daniel at? Would you trade Daniel for a sixth-round pick? Maybe Kansas City can combine Daniel with a late pick, such as its seventh-rounder, and try to land a fifth or maybe a fourth-round pick? That’s the value.

In this columnist’s humble opinion, if the value is presented at a fourth or fifth-round pick, then you swing the deal. While late to mid-round picks like this are not the greatest asset, Daniel will be gone from the Chiefs after this season in all likelihood and will leave for no returned value. Something is obviously better then nothing.

However, if it’s really low and a poor return, then you hold on to him as a viable asset to hold on to through the season, a season in which you a trying to compete. Lets see what shakes out.

“Fear nothing, attack everything” – Eric Berry