Jermichael Finley, who severely injured his back in a game against the Cleveland Browns, is progressing towards making a return to the NFL. He recently told Tom Pelissero of his intents to make his way back onto an NFL squad rather than start the process of cashing in on a $10 million insurance check.
From the piece:
"“As long as I wait, you know and I know, guys are going to go down and the money’s going to shoot up,” Finley said, sitting in the weight room at WelleFast Elite Sports Training. “It’s all a waiting game right now.”“This is a huge week for me,” Finley said, “and I’m a competitor, so I’m looking forward to it.”"
Kansas City currently has five tight ends on the roster in Anthony Fasano, Travis Kelce, Sean McGrath, Richard Gordon, Demetrius Harris. Nine days out from training camp it would seem the leading contenders for the three tight end spots would be Fasano, Kelce, and Harris, though a lot could change over the next seven weeks.
Injuries took a huge toll on the Chiefs last season, particularly at tight end. Fasano missed six games and was knocked out of two more due to injuries, Kelce missed the entire season, and Tony Moeaki was cut from the Chiefs due to a late preseason injury. The result was the Chiefs had to go with almost all guys off the street at tight end in 2013. This was a significant portion of why the Chiefs passing game struggled at times, especially early in the season.
Knowing the experience of last season it would be wise to have as much depth as possible. Pelissero’s article notes the surgeon who declared Finley fit to play in May is also the Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor, a team that has been linked to signing Finley. The unknowns of Kelce and Harris in addition to low ceilings of McGrath and Gordon may be enough that the Chiefs should consider giving Finley a look.
Assuming he is healthy, Finley is an all-Pro level tight end. He is very athletic and has excellent hands. Few should know him better than John Dorsey, who was in Green Bay for all but one of Finley’s seasons in the NFL Assuming Finley’s tests come back clean on Wednesday – test that are to be distributed to all 32 NFL teams – the Chiefs ought to seriously consider bringing Finley in.