The Options
Albert Wilson – The second year wide receiver took a big step in 2015. Though he didn’t put up what would qualify as acceptable #2 wide receiver numbers, Wilson showed a lot of ability and a clear improvement from his rookie campaign.
One of the key aspects of this was his ability to make things happen after the catch. In the West Coast Offense, that is one of the two more important keys for a wide receiver (the other being the ability to run quality routes).
The obvious hold up here is that there is no guarantee in Wilson’s continued development. He has shown the ability and potential, but until it manifests into actual production, there simply is no way to be sure. If Wilson does fail to develop further, an investment in him as the #2 option would fall flat on its face and could stall the maturation of the Chiefs offense.
Chris Conley – It’s not a coincidence that two wide receivers make this list. However, Chris Conley makes it for an entirely different reason than Wilson. Conley didn’t have a very good statistical year for the Chiefs, but he did highlight something that should get the coaches and fans excited.
Conley and Smith appear to be very close to being in sync on the long ball. During the latter half of the year, the two tried to hook up a few times but it didn’t happen. However, when you go back and review the film, you can see that they were extremely close. That’s the kind of thing that gets fixed with reps…which the two should get plenty of this offseason.
The drawback here is the same as with Wilson…we just don’t know. Conley could emerge as an incredible talent. His physical ability is certainly not the question here. But that is the same with a lot of wide receivers who never pan out (Jon Baldwin?). It takes more than that to become a quality player in the NFL, and Conley still has an awful lot to prove on the field before we can make any assumption about how good he will be for this team.
Next: Looking at the line