The best Kansas City Chiefs to ever wear the uniform: No. 19

In this special offseason series, we analyze the best players in Kansas City Chiefs history to wear every single uniform number. Here’s No. 19.

We’ve been doing a lot of outdoor work on our new house—landscaping, cleaning, tree removal, etc. And in the process, I’ve bought three brooms. One broke completely. The others proved too cheap, with bristles falling off or just not doing the job.

That’s a high bust rate.

Finally I caved and paid a bit too much for an industrial sucker who has become my first love. In fact, my wife slept on the couch last night.

In all seriousness, you appreciate the good things you have when you know it’s hard to find a good one—that’s true for spouse and broom. For a football team, that’s true for a wide receiver as well. The bust rate is too high at this position, and it’s easy to fall for a player as a fan only to find they were never any good at the professional level in the first place.

Jon Baldwin. Snoop Minnis. Sylvester Morris. And a couple guys from today’s uniform list.

The Others

Devon Wylie. I loved that kid. The fourth round pick in 2012 was supposed to be the next Dante Hall or Wes Welker or someone who could play slot receiver and return kicks. He was small and shifty, quick and deceptive. Unfortunately he was also not ready to play in the NFL.

What about Kyle Williams? The San Fran import was on the roster about the same time as Wylie, and I remember thinking he could be a nice find early in John Dorsey’s time with the Chiefs.

Now I’m smitten with former Hawaii receiver Marcus Kemp. His college stats won’t jump off the page, but he’s looked solid with the Chiefs in practice at times. Is he a future contributor on the active roster, or just another in a long line of hopefuls?

I’ve got brooms that show I’m probably wrong.

The Runner-up: Jeremy Maclin

It’s sad that Jeremy Maclin’s exit might be as memorable (or more so) than his on-field contributions to the Chiefs during his too-brief tenure.

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In case you’ve somehow forgotten, John Dorsey dismissed Maclin from the team via a voice mail message, the ultimate passive transaction that kept Dorsey from having face a player who meant a lot to the team and his head coach. It’s unknown how much of this came into play when the team decided Dorsey wasn’t going to remain as general manager, but certainly this was the cherry on top of whatever was underneath.

Here’s the reality: Maclin was a major free agent prize for the Chiefs to catch, and it was a homecoming for the former Mizzou product. He was reunited with Andy Reid, immediately christened as the top wideout on a team that didn’t have a single WR with a touchdown the previous year and he made the passing game instantly respectable again.

Not only was Maclin instantly productive with 87 catches for 1,088 yards and 8 touchdowns, but he also knew Reid’s offense inside and out. The young players around him would talk about Maclin as if he were a coach as well as a teammate on the field, even after he was cut from the team. Injuries would hamper his second season in K.C. which led to pedestrian numbers on the stat sheet and his high price tag from free agency forced Dorsey to make a tough decision on a team with Tyreek Hill emerging in the wings.

What would be a nice turn of events is to see Maclin return to K.C. one day as a young WR coach under Reid, if the bad blood or ill will could be forgiven. Or maybe they can blame it all on Dorsey.

The Winner: Joe Montana

Is there a single offseason in Kansas City Chiefs history that can compare with 1993? The Chiefs brought in two Hall of Fame players at the end of their careers in running back Marcus Allen and quarterback Joe Montana while drafting another at the beginning in guard Will Shields. Incredible.

If you’re not old enough to remember the incredible ’93 season and the joy of having Joe under center, we trust you’ve watched the videos. If not, you need to sit your parents down and chastise them for the job poorly done. And we’re also here to help:

Montana went 17-8 in two years as the Chiefs starter and even 2-2 in the playoffs, but most importantly, he brought national respect and attention to K.C. There was a feeling they could beat anyone at any time, and Chiefs Kingdom reveled in that reality. Unfortunately Montana never hoisted the Lombardi in his time with the Chiefs, but that’s as close as a generation of fans ever felt to making it real.

Next: The Best to Wear It: No. 18

Congratulations to Joe Montana for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 19 on his uniform!

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