Will the Chiefs go into 2017 with Alex Smith and the great unknown?

This isn’t just about Tyler Bray, although he’s the shining example of Dorsey’s perceived reticence to let the kids play at the game’s most important position. At some point, you have to let them touch the stove, so to speak, to see if they can cook or whether they’ll just get burned.

This is all important to bring up because, once again, the Chiefs’ cupboards are bare after Alex Smith on the roster. Nick Foles was allowed to leave, as expected. The Chiefs have made a couple free agent moves, but they’ve indicated zero interest in any of the quarterbacks available. Even when Tony Romo says that he’d love to play in Kansas City, an unnamed source tells NFL Network’s James Palmer that the Chiefs just are not interested.

So in 2017, it looks like Dorsey might actually follow through on the scenario we believed might happen in 2016: that they will roll the dice heading into the season with Alex Smith and a rookie safety net. This is a major decision, not one to take lightly, and likely something that keeps him and his staff up at night.

What if Smith goes down, at any point, on any play? This roster has dreams of a Super Bowl. Do you really have zero professional snaps at slots two and three? It’s a wild card that would drive a risk-averse man crazy, which is why it will be interesting to see what Dorsey will do. Can he ignore the fears to believe enough in his player assessments, or will we see another surprise signing at the 11th hour?

It’s easy to clamor for a first round quarterback in the draft and then even demand that player be given a chance to start when your job is not on the line. But when your livelihood (and the livelihoods of those around you every day in the office) is a part of the equation, the safety remains in the “on” position most days.

The Chiefs have done the homework on every top quarterback so far, meeting with them for formal interviews during the NFL Combine. It seems as if this will be the year that we’ll see plenty of youth at quarterback in the preseason and a glimpse of the future at the position. But we will also likely watch a GM up in the luxury box watching while biting his nails, hoping he was right to let the kids play after all.