It may just be me, but I can’t remember entering a Kansas City Chiefs season so certain about the present, and completely confounded about the future.
On the one hand, they’re (rightfully) considered a strong contender not only for the AFC West title, but also to be the AFC’s representative come February 2017. On the other hand, there is a fair bit of uncertainty around this roster and how it’ll look at this time next year. And with that roster uncertainty, one can’t help but think about succession: who replaces Berry if he walks?
Who would fill the massive, Poe-sized hole in the middle? Is the Chiefs picking up a rookie punter next offseason a good bet?
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While these are all prominent positions to keep an eye on, let’s not lose sight of the fact that the Chiefs are going to need an heir to Alex Smith real quick. According to Over The Cap, the Chiefs would save over $13 million by cutting Smith next offseason and it would only cost them a $3.6 million cap hit.
Now, in no way am I calling for this to be Smith’s last season – the guy played very well last year and proved he’s capable of leading an offense that attacks defenses down the field (having an o-line that finally decided to block kind of helped). What I am saying, however, is the Chiefs could very well be facing a decision at the most important position in a less than years’ time.
Regardless, by the time 2018 rolls around there’s zero doubt that the Chiefs will need to have someone ready to step in for Smith. And assuming the Chiefs don’t plan on pulling a 2011 Colts between now and then, it’s looking more and more likely that one of the young guns currently on this roster will be that somebody.
That’s why this upcoming training camp/preseason is about so much more than just finding a backup QB – it’s a 30-day glimpse into the future of this franchise. One, if not two, of Bray, Murray, and Hogan need to come out and give Andy Reid something to get excited over.
Not only would that let the Chiefs know there won’t be a Romo to Weeden level drop off should Smith go down (knock on wood), but it would also be a big help for Reid in letting him know who he should be focusing his QB guru magic on. The downside of a wide-open competition like this is nobody gets the necessary snaps/attention they need to make significant strides; growth curves (well, at least I hope they’re curves and not flat lines) are stunted across the board.
While Tyler Bray is currently the clubhouse leader considering he received the lion’s share of the second team snaps in June, I have high hopes for Kevin Hogan and his potential with Andy Reid long-term. When you throw on his tape, you see a QB with all the tools needed to succeed in a West Coast offense, heck he even ran a version of it during his time at Stanford. Each of the three kids bring something to the table that Reid desires in a protégé, and considering the franchise-QB game is a game of numbers, having three to work with has to bode well, right?
Nevertheless, this next month needs to offer Dorsey and Reid clarity around the future of the quarterback position for this franchise. The succession planning for Alex Smith must be well underway, irrespective if he has one year or two years left in a Chiefs uniform. After all, the Chiefs need only look to their friends in Denver to see the kind of QB nightmare a team can find themselves in when taking the, “we’ll figure it out eventually” approach.