Kansas City Chiefs: Three Moves That Need To Happen

Aug 9, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant (81) prior to playing the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 31-22. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

2. The Signing Of Jason Avant Should Reshuffle The WR Rotation

The Chiefs made official the signing of Jason Avant (and the placement of AJ Jenkins on IR) shortly after their loss to the Raiders. I for one, am 100% on board with this move. Normally, a WR signed this late in the season would be almost pointless because there wouldn’t be enough time left for them to get truly acclimated to the system. That’s not the case with Avant though, since he spent several years in Philadelphia under Andy Reid. Avant should be able to get on the field and start contributing right away. Avant was never a burner, but is sure handed and a solid route runner. With the Chiefs absolute lack of talent at the WR position, Avant should be an instant upgrade.

That brings me to my second point. The Chiefs need to sure up their WR rotation for the home stretch. To date the following receivers have seen FAR too many snaps on offense:

Junior Hemingway – 256 snaps
AJ Jenkins – 253 snaps
Frankie Hammond – 222 snaps

Obviously, Jenkins won’t be seeing the field any longer for KC after being put on IR, but the same should go for Hemingway and Hammond as well. They simply aren’t good enough players to be seeing as much time on the field as they have to date. Of the 110 WRs that qualify at PFF, Hemingway ranks 100th and Hammond ranks 105th. One of the biggest frustrations for me this season is watching Hemingway and Hammond run onto the field on third down while Travis Kelce and DeAnthony Thomas come off. That’s absurd.

Donnie Avery did return to practice last week and although he missed the Raiders game, one would hope the long week to recover could make him more likely to play against Denver. If he can go, then it is my firm belief that the only WRs that should receive any offensive snaps the rest of the season are Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery, Jason Avant, and Albert Wilson. When you factor in Travis Kelce, Jamaal Charles, and DeAnthony Thomas that technically aren’t considered WRs, but can run multiple WR routes, it gives KC plenty of options to go around.

Hemingway and Hammond are both key special teams contributors, but that’s the only time I want to see those two on the field for the rest of the 2014 season.

Now let’s look at the defense.

Next: Click Here To See What Change Must Be Made On Defense