Meet the candidates to be the Kansas City Chiefs next GM

Here’s an in-depth look at each of the Chiefs GM candidates and what they’d bring to the table if they were hired.

The shock has likely worn off by now. Five days after the Kansas City Chiefs reportedly forced John Dorsey out of his job as General Manager for the Kansas City Chiefs, the stories have now moved (mostly) beyond exploring the reasons why to who might be the next to take his place. Reporters are still searching for reasons, since any that have been given feel disproportional to what happened, but for now, we’re becoming curious as to what we’re hearing about Dorsey’s potential replacements.

The reality is that any incoming candidate will want to know a few things before saying yes to Clark Hunt. First of all, he or she will likely want to know the full story and to hear it straight from Dorsey’s mouth. Anything else would be irresponsible, even if it is uncomfortable to talk to the man you’re tasked with replacing, but there’s simply no way around it. When the stories fail to match up publicly, you have to explore them privately, so even if we hear the Chiefs are hot on a particular candidate, it might be good to tap the brakes on your hopes until the candidate has signed on the dotted line.

In addition, the candidate needs to know just how difficult this job will be. Clark Hunt plays the part of non-meddling owner, but some stories leaked in this Dorsey firing show that he may be more involved than initially believed, including the Eric Berry negotiations. Andy Reid has already worn every major hat at once in Philly and he still apparently likes to don one or two of them, aside from head coach, from time to time. The new guy needs to be flexible, to be a true team player, to certainly have his own voice and perspective but to also know that he’s part of an ensemble.

Finally he’ll have to be up for the Herculean task of replacing Dorsey. Simply put, few GMs in the NFL have the eye for talent that Dorsey has proven to hold. He doesn’t miss up top in the draft. He hits at a remarkable rate at the bottom. He finds gems among undrafted free agents and veterans coming off of injuries. He could also land the free agent prize when he needed, as shown with Mitchell Schwartz, Sean Smith, Jeremy Maclin. Any candidate will certainly have an impressive resume in one area or another, but Dorsey’s shoes are huge. The Chiefs might have to actually be okay with Dorsey-lite moving forward.

On to the potential candidates.