Why the Kansas City Chiefs don’t need a prolific number two wide receiver

Since Andy Reid rolled into Kansas City with his version of the West Coast Offense, KC’s star running back Jamaal Charles has been a major force in the passing game. Yes, he missed most of last season with an injury, but if you take all the games he has played in Reid’s system and average out his receiving totals per 16 games played you get this.

59.9 receptions
530.7 receptions
5.9 touchdowns

So in Andy Reid’s offense Jamaal Charles has averaged more receptions per 16 games then the typical second receiving target on a team with a good defense and good running game across the NFL has. Now, should we expect JC to get 60 receptions in 2016?

Probably not, but given Reid’s offense and Alex Smith’s propensity to check down I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to predict that all of KC’s running backs combined will total 60 receptions. Last season KC backs totaled 53 receptions with Charles missing most of the season.

So if you have a good defense, a good running game, a true number one receiver in Jeremy Maclin, a true second target in tight end Travis Kelce, and a backfield that is going to catch about 60 passes what do you really have left to work with for the other receivers?

I’m glad you asked, I’ve got those numbers for you too….

Next: How many passes are still up for grabs?