Adam Caplan of Fox Sports is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs will have hold a private workout with former TCU QB Andy Dalton.
While this doesn’t come as a great surprise to me, it does confirm my thoughts that 2010 was the final straw of the Brodie Croyle era. Croyle has failed to impress each and every time he has stepped on the field for the Chiefs and his 0-10 record as a started looks to have the KC seriously considering drafting a backup for Matt Cassel.
The interesting thing about Dalton is that while he isn’t one of the top QB’s in the draft, he is still being projected to go somewhere around the second or third rounds, according to NFL Draft Scout.
Caplan claims that the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots have all scheduled workouts with Dalton and that meetings with the Vikings, Titans and Bengals are on the horizon. Caplan expects the Chiefs to meet with Dalton next week.
Dalton, who is coming off a strong Pro Day last Friday, isn’t believed to be NFL starting material right out of the gate. He certainly has the potential to be a starter but he is going to need some seasoning first. The Chiefs obviously aren’t considering him as a Matt Cassel replacement. Cassel is only 28 and is coming off a Pro Bowl season.
Still, the Chiefs saw last year the importance of having a quality backup. If they no longer believe in Croyle then they need to start looking elsewhere and Dalton is certainly a good place to start. I doubt Scott Pioli would take a QB in the second round of the draft but I could see him taking a chance on Dalton in the third if he didn’t like the players that were available. Remember, the Chiefs are slowly inching toward the time where they will be drafting for depth and while it might be hard to think of Pioli using a third round pick on a guy who isn’t likely to see the field, QB is the most important position on the team. Nothing I’ve ever seen from Croyle or Palko gives me confidence that KC’s season wouldn’t go straight in the toilet should something happen to Matt Cassel so if sacrificing a third round pick to save a season is what it will take, I can probably get on board with that.
Alas, I’m getting ahead of myself. The Chiefs could just be doing their due diligence on mid-round QB’s and the fact that they plan to work Dalton out doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to try to draft him. Still, this does seem to indicate that they are targeting QB as a potential need which probably means unemployment for Brodie Croyle.
What do you think Addicts? Are any of you familiar with Dalton’s play? Would he be a guy you’d feel confident having on the team as Cassel’s backup? Do you think he could one day, step in as a starter? Sound off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rgEw2tT00Q