Introducing the single dumbest column in recent NFL history
By Matt Conner
A recent CBS Sports columnist did a ranking of the league’s front offices and the Kansas City Chiefs came in 28th overall.
Sean Wagner-McGough deserves a bit of credit before we move forward here. The CBS Sports columnist, who recently posted his NFL front office rankings, took on a major undertaking by doing so, and is likely going to make a number of fans unhappy when you sort anything out in such definitive ways. That said, this is the single dumbest column in recent NFL history given that, as you scroll, you’re still looking for the Kansas City Chiefs front office all the way into the late twenties.
Let’s get down to it. Wagner-McGough lists the Chiefs at No. 28 and writes:
"Signing Eric Berry to a long-term deal was huge. But I’m not crazy about their offseason besides that. They lost Dontari Poe to the Falcons and cut a productive but oft-injured player in Jaye Howard. Those are two big losses on the defensive line. But the real reason I’m placing the Chiefs near the end of this list is their trade to draft Mahomes. I have nothing against Mahomes. His ceiling is probably higher than any other quarterback in this year’s draft. But giving up two first-round picks for a developmental quarterback will likely backfire — that’s why they’re so low on this list."
That last part makes sense inasmuch as it is perfectly okay to think that Patrick Mahomes will not work out. It makes the same amount of sense at this point to believe he’s a future All-Pro. The bust rate on quarterbacks simply means that no one knows. It’s an inexact science, but those with jobs on the line felt good enough to make the move, so that’s good enough for most K.C. fans.
That said, I still can’t get over 28th. 28? That means twenty seven other teams were identified as having a better front office than the Chiefs. A writer about the NFL is saying he would rather have 27 other general managers than John Dorsey? That’s like preaching at a megachurch and saying the minor prophets are more impressive than Jesus. (Okay, maybe not.) If it’s not blasphemous, it should be.
Up against a tight cap, John Dorsey extended the team’s MVP and defensive heart. He restructured Derrick Johnson to make sure a guy who should be a lifelong Chief will remain so. He locked up the offensive line to make sure the entire unit can develop strong chemistry and remain together for the next two full seasons, at least. He also let Dontari Poe and his overinflated sense of value walk and found room to add a helluva run stuffer for a team who needed exactly that.
Furthermore, and this is the most incredible part of all, in four full offseasons, John Dorsey inherited a 2-14 team and has averaged 5x as many wins every single season. The Chiefs are deep at nearly every single position with multiple Pro Bowl players on both sides of the ball. They’re prepared to win now and yet somehow they’ve also already paid the price for their future franchise quarterback. In short, a cupboard that was barren just four years ago is now overflowing and has every reason to believe it will remain that way.
The number of teams who would love to have John Dorsey at the helm would likely be in the range of, oh, 27 or so. Perhaps Wagner-McGough’s column reads upside-down and I have this all wrong. Maybe it’s opposite day or you turn your tablet over to read it in the right order. If not, this has to be among the dumbest columns in recent NFL history.