John Dorsey: The Chiefs’ Man With A Plan
Aug 28, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs the ball during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Tight Ends
Then: Tony Moeaki, Kevin Boss, Jake O’Connell, Steve Maneri
Now: Travis Kelce, James O’Shaughnessy, Demetrius Harris, Brian Parker
There are a lot of parallels between the wide receiver position and tight ends when you compare the 2012 roster to the Chiefs current 53-man roster. Just like the wideouts, the major difference between the two is that the current Chiefs have found a proven number one guy. Not only is Travis Kelce a true starting caliber tight end, he has shown flashes of being one of the premier talents at the position in the entire NFL. While Tony Moeaki did flash some ability it was never at Kelce’s level and even if it was he couldn’t stay healthy long enough to take advantage of it.
The depth behind Kelce on the current roster is definitely unproven so to say that they are unquestionably better than O’Connell and Maneri might be premature. However, those two never really amounted to anything (Maneri has bounced around some as a blocking tight end) so the bar isn’t set very high.
The trio of O’Shaughnessy (23), Harris (24), and Parker (23) give the Chiefs several young players with upside. If even just one of these players becomes a solid number two tight end it will be more than you can say about any tight end on the 2012 roster. Then when you factor in a stud like Kelce this is clearly another huge roster upgrade for Dorsey.
Next up, the offensive line……
Next: Offensive Line