Former Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley turns heads with Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley is going to have a great chance to show everything he can do with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During his tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs, wide receiver Chris Conley was a positive asset for the team. Not only was he one of the best interviewees on the team, he was personable with fans and the media and was instantly relatable due to his love of film and outgoing personality. On the field, he was a model teammate and reliable option in the passing game.

While Conley never commanded the offense, he did average 26 catches for 309 yards in his four seasons with the team. That likely makes the former Georgia Bulldog more of a footnote for fans than any sort of memorable contributor, but third round picks have fared far worse at the pro level, so the selection of Conley in the 2014 NFL Draft wasn’t exactly a miss for general manager John Dorsey.

That said, Conley is taking full advantage of his ability to write a new chapter with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Chiefs, Conley found himself passed on the depth chart by fifth round pick Tyreek Hill and he could never quite establish himself as a dynamic downfield threat. In fact, Brett Veach coughed up major money to be able to add Sammy Watkins in free agency—largely because the Chiefs failed to produce a 1A level target to relieve Hill of the pressure he faces along with tight end Travis Kelce.

Conley came with the requisite athleticism to make his mark. He put on an absolute show at the NFL Combine, enough to generate highlights of his own. Unfortunately, Conley was always relegated to WR3 or worse, which meant it was a fairly easy decision to let him leave K.C. this offseason in free agency. The Jacksonville Jaguars decided to sign him in March to a two-year, $4.6 million deal, and fortunately for them, it sounds like they’re already reaping the rewards on such a buy-low opportunity.

So far for the Jaguars this offseason, Conley is looking the part of a top wideout for a newly remade offense. ESPN reporter Mike DiRocco wrote, “He might turn out to be one of the best under-the-radar free-agent signings this year. Signing QB Nick Foles was obviously big, but the Jaguars added Conley three days later and he has been the best receiver during OTAs and minicamp.”

This isn’t the first time this offseason that Conley has earned such praise. The fact that Conley has previous experience playing alongside Jags new starting quarterback Nick Foles yielded quick dividends during the team’s earliest OTAs. So far, Conley has turned heads of the media and coaching staff in every chapter of organized activities for the team.

It will be interesting if Conley can make the leap into star receiver away from his familiar role in Kansas City. Conley never once eclipsed 50 catches or 600 yards in a season, so even a season approaching those numbers or more would set career marks with ease. For the Jags to keep up with the Joneses in the AFC South and beyond, Conley will need to step up and become a major target for Foles. The good news is how well he’s looking the part so far.