The Chiefs problems pt 4: What are our options?
By Ben Almquist
John Dorsey has made some strong moves in KC, but if those moves don’t work out, who takes the blame? Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
General Manager
To be honest, John Dorsey came out of nowhere for me during the last General Manager search. And you really can’t say that he hasn’t done a solid job overall. There have been some hiccups, but that is to be expected. If Dorsey is the man let go, that would likely be a sign that Clark Hunt is as upset at the lack of progress at quarterback as all the rest of us.
- Tom Gamble – San Francisco 49ers (Senior Personnel Executive): Gamble left the 49ers in 2013 to take a promotion with the Eagles that turned out to be short-lived as Chip Kelly was looking to make his power play. Gamble has a solid reputation in the NFL as an evaluator, and was previously considered by the Jets for their General Manager spot. When the Chiefs were making changes in 2013, Gamble was my top guy and that is still the case today.
- Eric DeCosta – Baltimore Ravens (Assistant General Manager): DeCosta has been a long favorite of NFL insiders for a General Manager spot. However, the story has always been the same…he’s waiting on the (promised) GM spot in Baltimore. But as Ozzie Newsome continues to go “one more year”, you have to imagine that the frustration is mounting for DeCosta. At some point, the Ravens will have to promote him or watch him walk out the door. If it is the second option, then the Chiefs probably couldn’t do any better. While Tom Gamble is my top choice, it is only because DeCosta seems intent on waiting for the Ravens to make their move.
Duke Tobin – Cincinnati Bengals (Director of Player Personnel)
: Have you noticed how stacked the Bengals roster is? Well Tobin is the man behind that. The Bengals are one of the “owner-centric” teams in the NFL. That means the owner is the guy ultimately making all of the decisions. The difference in Cincy? Mike Brown listens to his guys, and Duke Tobin is at the top of his guys. Tobin is essentially already a General Manager, just without the title. But that title can be very enticing to someone in the business who doesn’t have it.
It’s probably time for Clark Hunt to have a long conversation with Reid and Dorsey.
- Eliot Wolf – Green Bay Packers (Director of Pro Personnel): If John Dorsey is on the way out, it would seem odd that Clark Hunt would take another Green Bay guy, but this could actually be a way to smooth over a move with Andy Reid. Reid is also close with Ron Wolf (Eliot’s father), so this could be a big move that doesn’t rock the boat too much. Obviously Eliot Wolf is well-schooled in the “Ron Wolf Philosophy” of roster building, which should allow for some smooth transitions as far as working with our current team. His age (33) would be a tough selling point, but he has already earned a very strong reputation. And someone is going to hire him very soon.
- Chris Ballard – Kansas City Chiefs (Director of Football Operations): The in house option here is actually a pretty good one. Chris Ballard was in line for the Tampa Bay job a couple years ago, but pulled himself out of the running. He was the presumed successor in Chicago last year, until the ownership took a left turn because of scare that he was too close to the organization. In both cases, this has worked out for the Chiefs as they have managed to hold onto someone with a top flight reputation as a personnel man. This is another move that could sit well with Andy Reid if the Chiefs do move on from John Dorsey.
I don’t think a change at General Manager is necessarily in order, but there are some amazing options out there if that is the way Hunt decides to go. Any one of those names on that list would be fantastic (in theory). Each of those guys has been in consideration for other GM postings, they all have solid reputations, and none of them are at the end of their careers. But if the Chiefs are looking to change the front office, don’t be surprised if it is just one part of a bigger operation…
Next: Starting over?