The day that proved John Dorsey’s brilliance

A single day in the professional life of John Dorsey showed exactly why he was known as one of the best and brightest in the NFL.

The biblical maxim that the last shall be first is the only upside of the whole basement-dwelling team thing in the NFL.

Every year, the general manager in charge of the front office of the previous year’s worst team, a man who is usually in a brand new job because his predecessor was fired, has the chance to go before anyone else in the National Football League when it comes to acquiring players at various stages. From the first pick in each round of the NFL Draft to sitting atop the waiver wire as players are released, there’s at least some silver lining on the heavy cloud that hangs over a team at their lowest point.

When John Dorsey took over for Scott Pioli in 2013, he inherited a team that had won a scant two games the previous season. The Todd Haley experiment was over. Pioli’s controlling ways (and, frankly, odd manner) had wore out their welcome. Dorsey was the fresh talent brought over from a stable and successful Green Bay Packers franchise, The upside of that two-win team? He would be first throughout the 2013 offseason.

There were a myriad of brilliant moves that offseason (and in the ensuing 4 years) that all deserve to be told. Dorsey deserves any measure of positive support given the non-sensical move to fire him on Thursday. In that particular offseason, the selection of Eric Fisher up top looks much better than anyone else they were considering at the time. The signing of Sean Smith was a masterstroke for rebuilding the secondary. There’s also the Javier Arenas for Anthony Sherman trade, the Travis Kelce draft pick, the chance taken on Husain Abdullah.

Yet looking back at that season, there’s one 24-hour period that serves as a highlight of a day in the professional life of Dorsey, one that shows just how brilliant he could be—and likely how much the Chiefs will miss him when it’s all said and done.

At the end of each team’s training camp and preseason schedule, they are forced to cut down the roster to their final 53 players. Everyone else is waived, creating a frenzy on the transaction wire as teams churn over the final few spots on the active roster with appreciable scraps, so to speak, from other teams. For the team who is now first, having finished last, it’s a chance to poach the league’s deepest teams as they’re forced to make difficult roster choices.

During this particular year, Dorsey made a number of waiver claims, knowing that he would be able to keep each and every one of these players. Having the top position afforded Dorsey the chance to restock some of Kansas City’s barren shelves, given the team had a complete lack of depth. The amazing thing is just how much talent he found on the waiver wire that day.

1. Ron Parker – The Chiefs picked up a lot of talent on the waiver wire on September 1, 2013, but no one has been as important to the Chiefs in that time span than Ron Parker. Not only has Parker changed positions over time, but he’s grown to be a very dependable veteran safety who would likely get a lot more public love and recognition if he didn’t play in the shadows of Eric Berry and Marcus Peters. However Chiefs fans certainly recognize that Parker is a very important starter in the secondary.
2. Jaye Howard – Earlier this offseason, Jaye Howard was surprisingly released by Dorsey and he took his talents to Chicago to play with the Bears. However, Howard was a nice free agent grab who started 30 games in Kansas City and provided a solid veteran presence along the d-line over four seasons. Not bad for a waiver claim.
3. Marcus Cooper – Cooper is another former Chiefs player who recently found  a new home with the Chicago Bears. Cooper didn’t last as long in K.C. as Howard, but he appeared in 38 games for the Chiefs in three seasons and showcased some serious talent early on. Another solid get for nothing on the waiver wire.
4. Dezman Moses – A former Green Bay Packer, Moses is a linebacker who has been a back-up and special teams player for K.C. for the last few seasons, catching limited action in 29 career games.
5. Sean McGrath – The tight end started 9 games and played in all 16 games for the Chiefs in 2013.
6. James Michael-Johnson – JMJ is a linebacker who played in every single game for the Chiefs over the next two seasons.

For Dorsey to pick up a couple starters, including one who remained in place long enough to earn a  big money deal, on the NFL’s cut day show his acumen as much as any other story. On a day when most roster construction is already done and wrapped, Dorsey used it to find several players to round out the roster.

It’s all in a day’s work for Dorsey. The bad news is that we won’t reap the fruit of a day’s labor from Dorsey ever again.