Should you panic over Jeremy Maclin’s release from the Kansas City Chiefs?
I believe that if things go as the Chiefs are hoping they will that they won’t miss Jeremy Maclin next season. I think they believe they have two elite weapons in Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. I think with them as the focus of the passing game and even just a small bump in the running game there simply isn’t a lot of room for Jeremy Maclin to be a big contributor on this team. You’ll notice my predictions didn’t even call for a breakout by Chris Conley or any of the other young receivers.
The cutting of Maclin right after their first few OTA practices could imply that they saw something in one or more of their young receivers that make them think they are ready to step up and produce even more. If they think someone like Conley, Robinson, or even the rookie Chesson is ready to play a more signifiant role it really makes finding targets for Jeremy Maclin difficult. Imagine adding 20 more receptions to the totals I had for one of those young players AND trying to find receptions for Maclin. The numbers just don’t add up.
That all having been said, there is risk involved. Like I stated earlier, the Chiefs security blanket is now gone. If the young guys don’t step up or Kelce/Hill get hurt this could be a disaster. Even if Hill and Kelce stay healthy, if none of the other young wideouts step up, it will mean defenses can double up on coverage on their star players. This is definitely a move that has a chance to go poorly.
That said, it could also be a move that we are praising John Dorsey for a year from now. If Maclin goes elsewhere and proves to just be a role player at this stage of his career and K.C.’s young guys step up this will have 100% been the right call. The bottom line is that Chiefs fans should not be panicking yet. Let things play out. Give the young guys a chance to prove their worth. I still believe the Chiefs may have the receiver talent on the roster to thrive, but only time will tell.
So what do you think Chiefs fans? Are you still freaking out about the loss of Maclin or do you understand why the Chiefs made the move? Do you agree that if the Chiefs offense goes according to plan in 2017 there simply may not have been room for Maclin to contribute much? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!