Kansas City Chiefs: Four Training Camp Takeaways

Jan 10, 2015; Frisco, TX, USA; Illinois State Redbirds tight end James O

Has rookie James O’Shaughnessy flashed some playmaking ability? Yes, and I was a huge fan of his selection in the draft, but I was surprised at how small he looked at camp. He looks more like a buff wide receiver than he does a tight end. That lack of size appeared to be an issue during blocking drills and I worry that he may be more of a pass catching specialist than the all-around tight end that Fasano was.

Part of what makes KC dangerous in two tight end sets is that they are a threat to run or pass. If O’Shaughnessy can’t be an effective blocker it limits what they can do with him and given Reid’s tendency to not use rookies on offense until they’ve mastered the system his contributions as a rookie are in question.

That leads us to the veteran tight ends on the roster. I was impressed with Richard Gordon when I watched him at camp this year. He’s a big guy, listed at 6-foot-4 and 268 pounds, but he moves pretty well for his size and made a couple nice grabs in the passing game as well.

If I had to pick one tight end besides Kelce that would see game action in week one of the regular season right now it would be Gordon. I had heard a few positive things about Ryan Taylor a fifth-year veteran who was a seventh-round draft pick by the Packers when John Dorsey was still there. However, Taylor left with an injury the day I was there so I didn’t get a good look at him.

With the Chiefs potentially looking to run lots of two tight end sets they may need to look for a proven veteran before the season starts. There is still time for the unproven guys mentioned above to make that move unnecessary, but if none of them steps up and proves himself worthy of regular snaps as the number two tight end, the Chiefs may have to look elsewhere.

Now on to my fourth and final takeaway from training camp.

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