John Dorsey Talks NFL Free Agency, Emmanuel Sanders, And More

Feb 21, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

John Dorsey met with the media via teleconference yesterday and answered questions about where he thinks the team is right now, Emmanuel Sanders, and some Chiefs who were already on the roster before free agency ever got started. Dorsey had a lot to say so let’s skip this intro business and get straight to what Dorsey had to say.

Did you feel like you had an agreement with Emmanuel Sanders?

"“I don’t know about all of that. During the free agency stuff, anything can happen. You know what, I was interested in a player and at the end of the day the player and agent decided to go to Denver. I’m one of those guys, it’s kind of like the Vance Walker deal, that deal was put to bed and you don’t look in the rearview mirror. We have to move forward and build this organization. That’s kind of where we are with this, and I’m moving forward to the next project.”"

Have you been through something like the Emmanuel Sanders thing before where you had something going and it fell through?

"“As I told you guys a long time ago, when we do negotiations I really don’t talk about the negotiation stuff outside of the building. Really that’s it, we move on and that’s kind of what I’ve done. I’ve kind of put it in the rearview mirror and I’ve moved forward.”"

Welp.

Where does that leave you at wide receiver now?

"“This is just really the mid part of the second week of free agency; there are still players out there. What I like to do is, in this draft, this draft is very deep in terms of wide receivers with skills. We always talk about (how) we’re going to turn over every rock possible as we move forward here and that’s kind of part of the process right now. As this plan moves forward, we’re going to continue to add competitive depth to our roster and that’s what we do every day. We come in here and we try to find the best possible players we can.”"

You haven’t been quite as aggressive in free agency this year. Was last year uncommon with how aggressive you were in free agency?

"“I’m going to do it the Chiefs way and the Chiefs way, as we said all along, is we’re going to be selective in free agency and we’re going to build a foundation through the draft and that’s kind of how we’re going to do this thing.”"

Do you feel like you’re playing catch up with Denver in the free agency period?

"“Not really. Not really at all. Really it’s just midway through the second week of free agency and there are still a lot of players out there. We’re going to find some players to help us move forward.”"

Are you in a good spot salary cap-wise and where are you in comparison to when you first got to Kansas City?

"“We’re in a good position right now. It gives us some flexibility to do a few things if we have to and it gives us flexibility to acquire some more players if we have to, but I think we’re in a good space right now. We’re in a good place.”"

You really get the feeling like the Chiefs are going to add one or two more players before the draft. One would think a wide receiver would be the position they target.

Where are you on the contract talks with Alex Smith and Justin Houston?

"“That’s an ongoing process as we speak and we’ve had communication with his representatives. That’s kind of where we are.”"

It would have been great to hear something new on these negotiations but it makes sense there are no new updates. If something is going to happen one would think it would happen in the period after the draft and before the start of the regular season.

Could you see Sanders Commings or Husain Abdullah playing at the open free safety spot?

"“Yeah I could envision that. One of the reasons why we drafted Sanders Commings was because we thought he fit that positional skill. I can see Husain and those guys competing. Then there are some guys within this draft that can help you contribute as well.”"

Dorsey has been really high on Commings since they drafted him. With the re-signing of Abdullah to pair with Commings one would think the Chiefs using a high draft pick on a safety is probably not going to happen. Though we really don’t know how highly Dorsey thinks of either HaHa Clinton-Dix or Calvin Pryor.

How much was Joe Mays used in nickel? Is that a guy who can cover tight ends at all?

"“I think every defensive scheme puts players in unique football positions. The one thing that you guys will love about Joe Mays is that he is a real football player. He’s mature. He’s a very good communicator. He’ll be able to play equally the run and the pass to a certain degree. I think when it’s all said and done you guys will like Joe Mays.”"

Mays is an upgrade from Akeem Jordan. He’s not an all-world guy or anything but he’s definitely at least a minor upgrade.

On film what did you see from Vance Walker as a pass rusher?

"“There are some unique features that our defensive linemen use and I felt that some of his strengths actually helped us as a defensive line. He can play the run, he can hold up the point of attack, but what’s nice about him is he gives you a little extra dimension in terms of the inside pass rush stuff that you need in the National Football League today. I’m very excited to have Vance (Walker) and again there’s another person, when we talk about character, that’s a man of high character.”"

Pass rush, pass rush, pass rush. Of the early signing, this one may be the most important. One could make a strong argument the Chiefs’ upgrade at right defensive end is bigger than any upgrade the Denver Broncos have made this off-season.

What will the starting left tackle situation be? Will Donald Stephenson or Eric Fisher be starting?

"“Well I think both of those two guys are good football players, and whatever they can do to help contribute to this team, their role is to do that. I think at the end of the day the coaching staff will put the best five offensive linemen out there for what’s good for the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s kind of where I see those guys positioning. At the end of the day, the coach is going to align the players where he feels helps us get the winning edge.”"

What role do you see for Weston Dressler?

"“He’s going to be allowed to compete as a slot receiver. He’s going to be allowed to compete on special teams. What he’ll do is once the coaches get a good feel for him and they get comfortable with him, then he’ll determine and distinguish his role within this team.”"

Dressler is probably replacement for Dexter McCluster at punt returner early. It may take some time before he works his way into the receiver rotation. Kansas City needs at least two more wide receivers before camp starts. One would think right now that one of those receivers is going to come via the draft.

Are there some other guys like Rishaw Johnson that you’ll be looking to fill the offensive line with?

"“Yeah I think that’s fair. We’re going to create a competitive atmosphere here, and I think when those guys had the chance to compete in the last game of the regular season they showed that they were willing to compete and they held their own against a playoff caliber team.”"

What do you see in Mike Catapano and Rishaw Johnson?

"“He’s been in the facility, with regards to (Mike) Catapano, he’s been here day in and day out. He’s been working his butt off. The guy is driven. He’s one of those relentless warriors you want on your team. I’m excited to see him contribute as we go forward here in the second season for him. I’ve always said all along that those guys make the greatest strides in year one to year two, and I can see great strides coming from Catapano. With regards to Rishaw (Johnson), he’s going to come in here and he’s going to compete. He’s showed that he can play the game of football, and I’m just excited to see how much stride he has made here this year.”"

How helpful was the week 17 game when you were able to see some of the players that didn’t see as much play time?

"“That’s a good question. Anytime you can get another opportunity to evaluate the players that don’t get to contribute on a week-in, week-out basis, that’s very helpful. What it does is it helps the coaching staff get a degree of comfort that those guys in the personnel department as they build this thing. That’s what the communication between the coaches and the personnel staff does. It’s always an advantage to get those guys to play and those guys showed very well on week 17 of the NFL schedule.”"

We cannot underestimate how important the week 17 game against San Diego was last season. One would think what they saw in that game had a huge influence in how they approached the off-season, particularly along the offensive line. Don’t be surprised if we learn Rishaw Johnson is the Chiefs’ solution at right guard.

How aggressive will you be in picking up extra picks this year?

"“Well, my phone is always open if you want to tell those guys if they want to trade up or down, just give me a call. You know what; you have to do everything within your power to see if you can do things. Rest assured that I will try to do everything I can to move up (or) move down if I feel like it’s time to pull the trigger and go up and get a player, or pull the trigger to move down to get a player, I will use every resource available to me.”"

This is great to hear. The Chiefs need more picks, no matter what round they are in.