Chiefs Film Room: Chris Conley offers promise

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KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 29: Chris Conley /

Things sure do change a lot in just a year. This time last September, the Kansas City Chiefs were a formidable contender whose success started on the defensive side of the ball.

Today, the Chiefs are again heading into the season with the “contender” label, but it’s the offense that looks like it’ll lead the way. Thanks to a legitimate number one receiver, the most dangerous tight end after the catch, the league’s deepest stable of running backs, and a dual-threat quarterback who fits the system like a glove, the Chiefs offense is finally dangerous.

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But even with all of the above – and an improved offensive line to boot – it still may not be enough in a division that boasts the Broncos and, vastly improved, Raider defenses. For this offense to truly go toe-to-toe with the league’s stingiest defense, it needs something the franchise hasn’t in at least the last decade or two: a number two receiver.

Now I could be coming off as greedy here seeing as how we just got a true number one last year in Maclin, but Kansas City is far from the wide receiver factory that it is for running backs and tight ends. Go back to the Bowe years, who was the most dangerous threat to line up across from him? Donnie Avery? Dexter McCluster? Steve Breaston?! That list is almost as depressing as the list of QBs we trotted out during those years (two words – Tyler Palko).

The great Albert Wilson experiment of 2015 didn’t quite live up to expectations, so Andy Reid decided 2016 is Chris Conley’s opportunity to drag the Chiefs out of WR2 purgatory. Does the second year receiver offer any hope? Well, his preseason tape shows some promise.

Let’s start with Conley’s most impressive play this preseason in Week 2 against the Rams. Here, Conley is at the top of the screen lined up one-on-one against the corner in man coverage. With no safety help over the top, Reid has the perfect play-call lined up and Conley executes perfectly.

Conley 1 /

Conley runs a stutter go route and absolutely shakes the corner. He throws in a little inside shoulder shift during his stutter which causes the corner to take a false-step, giving Conley all the room separation he needed.

After he separates, Conley does a fantastic job of tracking the ball in air, hauling it in, and getting as much YAC as possible. These are the kind of plays we saw far too infrequently from this position last season and will help open things up for guys like Maclin and Kelce.

Next: What has me excited?

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