Undoing the false narratives about John Dorsey’s firing
By Matt Conner
Dead cap space or little cap space has been listed as reasons for John Dorsey’s firing but those are false narratives that don’t tell the full story.
Dead cap space is a problem, yes. No one would deny that. If you were to poll all 32 NFL General Managers (well, 31 until the Kansas City Chiefs hire one), each and every one of them would say that they’d like for their total amount in dead cap space to be zero. That said, every NFL team has some level of dead cap space on the books. Some amounts are very minimal (hats off to the Oakland Raiders who have $55K in dead cap space), but nevertheless it’s there for every team.
When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, the belief is that dead cap space was part of the undoing of former General Manager John Dorsey. A quick scan of social media on Chiefs Twitter shows that fans blame him for mismanagement the cap. There’s the dead cap space of millions due to Jaye Howard’s odd release. There’s another nearly $2.5 million from Jeremy Maclin’s (also surprising) release. The Chiefs even have $600K on the books from cornerback KeiVarae Russell, the same 3rd round pick cut by the Chiefs before he even took the field. Yet another surprising release.
But this sort of narrative, of a bumbling Dorsey who cannot handle the salary cap, is somewhere between overblown and incorrect. Let’s take a closer look at why this story bubble deserves to be burst.
The Dead Cap Reality
Every team would love to be in the Raiders current position with such little wasted financial space, but the reality is that most teams have plenty of dead cap space on the books. Consider this: the average NFL team carries $7.38 million in dead cap space in 2017 (per Spotrac’s totals). The Kansas City Chiefs, again per Spotrac, have $8.59 in dead cap space, or just over a million dollars more than the average team. The NFL’s worst, for comparison, is the San Diego Chargers at a whopping $21 million.
But consider other teams with more dead space than the Chiefs. It’s a list that includes the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens. You don’t hear anyone raking Ozzie Newsome over the coals for having an incredible $18 million in dead cap space, over twice what John Dorsey had put on the books. Dorsey is barely over the league average and yet somehow that was his undoing? Hardly.
The Loaded Roster
There’s a sexiness in having a ton of cap space. In the days and weeks before free agency opens, the idea of having tens of millions to spend to make improvements is very exciting. New additions, veterans or rookie, are always exciting for any fan base. It’s the reason why the draft is so intriguing, drawing in millions of viewers. It’s also why the NFL has learned to drag out the process as long as possible.
Yet there’s a reason the Kansas City Chiefs have been up against the cap. Even with the surprising (and frustrating) releases of Jeremy Maclin and Jaye Howard, the Chiefs are one of the NFL’s most loaded rosters
- The Chiefs run deeper along the offensive line than any team in the NFL (with four reserves who have 168 games of experience, and 80 starts, between them). They also have all five starters locked up for years to come, providing the continuity and chemistry that’s so rare to find in today’s transitional league.
- The secondary is not only as deep as any in the NFL, but nearly everyone is also ridiculously young. Very few members of the secondary have reached their potential, which is a scary proposition for stars like Marcus Peters but also great news for promising players like Eric Murray.
- The Chiefs had as many Pro Bowlers as any team in the league just last year and they appear in all facets of the game: offense, defense and special teams. And that came in a year when the team’s single best players on both sides of the ball were out for most of the season.
- The Chiefs not only have a current starting quarterback who has won 67% of his games in Kansas City, but they’ve already made the major investment to bring in his eventual replacement.
The reality is that the vast majority of head coaches would love to play football with the Chiefs roster rather than their own. That’s what cap space is for: to acquire talent. The Chiefs have plenty of it, even as some of it slips over the side.
John Dorsey is not without his faults. Every general manager has made questionable draft choices, odd signings and costly extensions. Roster management is not an exact science, which is what makes every year so exciting to follow as a fan. That said, Dorsey’s record is far better than most even when admitting his faults. He left the Chiefs ready to compete in 2017 and beyond, even years beyond. He deserves a narrative that tells the truth instead of exaggerating his few misses.