John Dorsey’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs was marked by many great acquisitions, but here are five who somehow got away.
They say if you love someone, “Let them go and if they come back, it’s meant to be.”
In the NFL, though, it doesn’t usually work that way. There are times when that special someone comes back, but by then, they’re usually not the person that you once held so dearly.
During General Manager John Dorsey’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs, his ability to add talent far outweighed the ones he had to let go. But that doesn’t mean that his tenure was without some players who escaped who likely shouldn’t have. We recently got a hold of Dorsey’s personal diary which gives us an inside look at the five players who got away and what Dorsey thought at the time.
5. Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen’s best season came in 2015 with the Kansas City Chiefs. I love Pro Football Focus, and I tend to trust their scoring methods (sometimes). During his first three seasons as a professional, Allen, had an average grade of 42.8. I’m no math guru, but I know enough to say that’s not good. He started 27 games for the Chiefs in his first two seasons, but missed most of 2014 with an injury.
However, Allen came back strong in 2015, finishing with a grade of 81.9. It was after that season that Allen was set to become a free agent and Dorsey decided it was best to let the Houston Texans pay him $7 million a year.
“It was hard to watch Jeff walk out the door, but my heart will go on.” -John Dorsey, pg. 71
4. David Irving
The casual fan will not remember David Irving and for good reason. Irving never got on the field for the Chiefs, and given the way the Chiefs shuffle players on the defensive line, it gets confusing, especially in the preseason.
Irving was an undrafted free agent signee for the Chiefs. David was kicked out of school his senior year and so those problems may have scared off some NFL teams. However, Irving is a big guy at 6’7″ who weighs about 275. Perfect body size for a 3-4 DE.
The Chiefs found themselves thin on the defensive line last season yet Irving has turned into quite the surprise for the Cowboys, getting 17 tackles and four sack with a good projection for the future. Irving also finished with a PFF score of 78.4. These are all things the Chiefs and Dorsey would have gladly taken.
“David always knew how to make me smile and always noticed when I wore a new sweater.” -John Dorsey, pg. 74
3. Dontari Poe
It is hard to believe that Dontari Poe’s time has come and gone as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. The decision to let Poe walk was probably the hardest choice that Dorsey has had to make in his time as GM. Unfortunately, Poe was coming off of his worst season since 2012 and back surgery.
Poe’s best season came in 2013 when he finished with 4.5 sacks and 51 tackles. In 2014, Poe’s sack totals went up, but PFF score went down. Poe’s job has always been to swallow up blockers and allow Tamba Hali and Justin Houston to do what they do best. It is hard to say whether the injuries to Houston or the aging of Tamba and D.J. made Poe look worse.
Poe finished his Chiefs’ career with 13 sacks and 156 tackles. In Poe’s three best seasons, the Chiefs’ defense finished top five in sack totals.
“I will forever think Hungry Pig whenever I hear the word pork.” -John Dorsey pg. 92
2. Rodney Hudson
Since being drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft, Rodney Hudson has been one of the NFL’s best centers. Hudson finished the 2016 season with a PFF grade of 88.7—fourth best grade overall for a center.
Hudson’s release was simple: he was going to demand more money than the Chiefs had and were willing to pay him. It was one of the toughest parts of being a GM, but when you build a team that wins 10 games a year, you can’t afford to keep everyone.
This blow was softened when they drafted Mitch Morse. Morse finished last season with a PFF grade of 81.1. Certainly the Chiefs feel just fine about the center position overall, but one has to wonder what the offensive line would look like with Morse at guard and Hudson at center.
“Rod broke my heart when he left me for my best friend. I hate him!”-John Dorsey pg. 61
1. Sean Smith
Sean Smith had one of the more gut-wrenching departures of any Chief outside of Jamaal Charles in quite some time. Dorsey was on fire, re-signing Jaye Howard to a deal much cheaper than any of us thought. Most believed that with the money that the Chiefs saved, they could still afford so sign Sean Smith. We were wrong.
Smith went on to Oakland and helped the Raiders go 0-2 vs the Chiefs. But Smith finished 2016 as PFF’s 17th best CB, even after a start in which he was benched by Jack Del Rio. Smith would have played with a better secondary in K.C. and so that ranking could have been even better.
In the NFL it is important to be strong up front, but even more important is the ability to stop the pass. This made the decision to put Sean Smith at one that much easier.
“Sean…I loved you. Nobody has ever serenaded me like you did with that air guitar.” -John Dorsey pg. 21