The first Sunday of the 2016 NFL season for the Kansas City Chiefs is now less than three months away and training camp is 6 weeks from now. Will training camp be a story about the “Making of a Champion” . . . or not? That will be revealed by the Chiefs top story lines of training camp.
Start Me Up Storylines
When it gets right down to it, only 5 players… Chris Conley, Albert Wilson, Rod Streater, rookie Demarcus Robinson and Mike Williams… will be vying for the starting #2 and #3 wideout positions. However, 13 wide receivers on the roster will be competing for what is likely to be 6 WR roster positions.
Jeremy Maclin may be a lock as the #1 wide receiver but, the key to who will make up the remainder of the Chiefs cadre of pass catchers is still a major unknown. So, look for writers to look more like watchdogs on this issue as camp progresses. It may the be the most highly scrutinized position in camp.
That… and the defensive backfield.
Bubble Trouble Storylines
No, I’m not referring to the problem many kids have when they first attempt to blow a bubblegum-bubble and end up with the dreaded gum-in-hair. “Bubble trouble” refers to players who may, or may not, make the team and has been a problem for NFL teams and players every season since kids first dreamed of playing professional football.
However, the Chiefs are facing a numbers game like never before and will have hard decisions to make at running back, wide receiver, tight end, quarterback, cornerback, and middle linebacker.
The Bubble Trouble candidates include,
Quarterbacks: Andy Reid has made a habit of keeping a 4th QB around by placing one on the Injured Reserve list and I expect that to happen here. I haven’t heard, read, or seen anything about any one of the Chiefs 3 backups that makes me believe that Reid will be cutting one the last week of camp. Everything coming out of coach Reid’s mouth about his backups has been positive so far.
Running backs: Knile Davis and Anthony Sherman. Yes, Anthony Sherman needs to wonder if he’s going to make the roster this year. He had zero yards rushing in 2015 and 4 receptions for 34 yards. The number of plays he’s being utilized in the offense is going down dramatically so his place on the roster could be in doubt.
Tight Ends: Ross Travis or James O’Shaughnessy- I’m betting on Ross Travis unless one of them is placed on Injured Reserve. That may be the deciding factor here.
Wide Receivers: De’Anthony Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Frankie Hammond, Mike Williams, Da’Ron Brown, Kenny Cook and Mitch Mathews. While some even think that Albert Wilson should worry about being in bubble trouble, that doesn’t seem likely to me.
Offensive Linemen: I don’t anticipate any surprise cuts here.
Next: Defensive Bubble Trouble Storylines?