John Dorsey: The Chiefs’ Man With A Plan

Aug 21, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright (50) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Then: Jamaal Charles, Peyton Hillis, Shaun Draughn, Cyrus Gray, Nate Eachus, Patrick DiMarco

Now: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis, Charcandrick West, Anthony Sherman

While the star of this group was already on the roster when Dorsey arrived it doesn’t mean he hasn’t done a good job of building the position. Yes, Jamaal Charles is one of the elite offensive players in all the NFL and we already knew that when the new regime arrived. However, the rest of the running back position was a mess.

Peyton Hillis was brought to KC to be the “thunder” to Jamaal Charles “lightning” but it simply never happened. Hillis was slow and about as non-elusive as can be and wasn’t brought back by Dorsey. In fact, of all the other running backs on the roster (besides Charles) the only one currently on an active NFL roster is fullback Patrick DiMarco who plays for the Falcons (guess who brought him in?).

However, while DiMarco is a mediocre starter Anthony Sherman has consistently been the highest graded fullback in the NFL since he arrived in KC. It should be noted that Dorsey brought Sherman in by trading away defensive back and return man Javier Arenas despite using a draft pick on a fullback that same offseason. That move has paid off huge as Sherman has been the best in the league and Arenas is currently not on an NFL roster.

It is also worth noting that both of KC’s current backups behind JC have upside. Knile Davis is a 23 year old 227 pound former third round pick with breakaway speed and Charcandrick West is an undrafted small school practice squad player from a year ago that looks like he has starting caliber upside and could be a factor in the passing game as early as this season.

So while Jamaal Charles was already on the roster, John Dorsey still has upgraded the running backs via the draft, a trade, and with a undrafted free agent that looks to be a diamond in the rough. He deserves credit for his work here as well.

Next up, the wide receivers….

Next: Wide Receivers