Position Overview: Wide Receivers
Until the start of training camp late next week, we will take a look at the Chiefs 2009 roster and break down the 80 players based on the nine position groups. We’ll also provide perspective on what each position has done in this decade of Chiefs football.
The size and length of his contract tells us the Chiefs think Matt Cassel is their franchise quarterback.
Now the question is: who might be Cassel’s targets when the Chiefs offense goes to the passing game? With Tony Gonzalez traded, the tight end-centric nature of the team’s pass offense will change considerably.
The passing game focus will shift to the wide receivers, and right now the Chiefs cupboard is hardly bulging with proven NFL catchers. After third-year man and former No. 1 choice Dwayne Bowe (left), the group is populated by a veteran at the end of his career (Bobby Engram) and a host of under-achievers that have never been a featured receiver in the NFL.
What happens at wide receiver will be very interesting to watch, because this is where Todd Haley made his bones as an NFL assistant coach. He paid extra attention to the wide receivers during off-season practices, especially when the passing game struggled to get connected. The head coach will have an eye on all 80 players, but he’ll give the receivers a few extra looks.
The philosophy of Pioli/Haley in looking for the right player, rather than the most talented player, indicates they may not be active participants in picking up veteran players released by other teams during the pre-season. But if there’s one position that could bring in new faces, it’s at wide receiver.
Here’s how the bodies break down at the outside positions.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Dwayne Bowe (3rd season/32 games-31 starts/156 catches, 2,017 yards and 12 TDs.) In two seasons Bowe has established he’s a solid if unspectacular NFL receiver who sometimes has problems with the drops. In this third season, Bowe needs to elevate his game, especially with the departure of Tony Gonzalez. He’s largely a possession receiver, as big plays don’t come often with Bowe catches; just 14 of his 156 receptions went for 25 yards or more and his long play is 58 yards. His most productive game came of the 32 that he’s played came in September of his rookie year, when he caught eight passes for 164 yards. He’s had just three more 100-yard games, none for more than 105 yards. Consistency and an increased level of performance must come from Bowe this season.
Mark Bradley (right) (5th/44 games-12 starts/68 catches, 963 yards, 7 TDs.) When Mark Bradley came off the street and almost immediately made an impact on the Chiefs offense last year, it seemed like one of the great waiver wire finds in club history. After a game to get his feet wet, he caught 23 passes for 294 yards. Certainly not Hall of Fame numbers, but he scored three touchdowns and threw for another. Then the same problem that scuttled his career in Chicago showed itself: injuries. He went three games without a catch, missing one because of a calf injury. Bradley was a non-factor the rest of the season. That whole scenario has been his profile as a pro; if he’s going to survive and be a factor, he must break that chain.
Terrance Copper (6th/63 games-5 starts/46 catches, 600 yards 6 TDs.) Over six seasons, Copper has made a place for himself with three teams due not to his offensive ability, but his special teams work; he has 41 tackles in the kicking game and has averaged 19.3 yards on kickoff returns, although he’s never broken a long run. Copper has six TD catches out of just 46 career balls; that’s a nice ratio and an indication he might be able to stir things up on occasion with his speed. But he’s likely to be the fourth or fifth receiver.
Devard Darling (6th/46 games-10 starts/37 catches, 578 yards and 4 TDs.) When he split the Patriots defense in the fourth quarter of the season opener and ran for 68 yards, it looked like great things were ahead for Darling. But he was pretty much forgotten over the next 12 games, catching only nine passes, none longer than 11 yards. Darling has a very good size to speed combination and in the off-season work he caught the attention of Haley, who at one point moved him into the No. 1 offense opposite of Bowe. If he’s given the opportunity, Darling must establish himself as the team’s No. 2 receiver.
Bobby Engram (left) (14th/171 games-113 starts/645 catches, 7,690 yards, 35 TDs.) He is 36 years old and in his 14th season. Those are numbers that generally do not matchup with productive NFL receivers. Last season in Seattle, we saw some of that when Engram played in 13 games, catching 47 passes and no touchdowns. In moving to the Chiefs, Engram brings his work ethic and that was on display during the off-season program when he was a full-time participant. Working as a slot receiver, Engram could become one of Cassel’s favorite security blankets. The Chiefs will have to manage his playing time, the way a baseball team would monitor the number of balls thrown by an older pitcher. Big plays have never been Engram’s specialty; he’s had no catches for more than 50 yards in the last three years and only two in the last nine seasons.
Taurus Johnson (undrafted rookie/49 college games-10 starts/112 catches for 1,434 yards and 12 TDs.) During the off-season program, Johnson really didn’t dazzle anyone with his play. As an undrafted rookie, he will need to make an immediate impact in training camp just to get the attention of Pioli/Haley and the coaching staff. At South Florida he averaged just over two catches and 29 yards per game; hardly the numbers of a go-to receiver. Johnson needs to make a place for himself and he needs to do it early.
Quinten Lawrence (6th-round draft choice/37 college games-32 starts/99 catches for 1,905 yards and 15 TDs.) Drafted because of his speed, Lawrence was a disappointment during the off-season work as he had trouble with assignments and had to learn that he couldn’t cruise through a Haley practice session. He did however, show his speed and he’s one of the fastest players on the roster. Whether he can translate that ability into becoming an NFL contributor remains a big question mark. The Chiefs see him as a returner, and at McNeese State he took his only punt return back 70 yards for a TD. But in the workouts, he had trouble holding onto the ball. That’s not unusual when Dustin Colquitt is kicking because his ball flutters and floats and drives all returners crazy. Lawrence needs to turn that speed into production.
Jeff Webb (right) (4th/31 games-3 starts/36 catches, 382 yards, 1 TD.) The trail may be coming to an end for Webb. After three seasons and 36 games, he’s not established himself as a consistent NFL receiver. On special teams last year he had just one tackle, so there’s not much he has provided in the kicking game. There are a lot of bodies ahead of him on the depth chart and Webb hasn’t shown any flashes in three years that he can play consistently enough to jump ahead of them.
Rodney Wright (1st/38 games in Arena Football League/292 catches, 3,229 yards and 42 TDs.) Coming out of the Arena Football League to the NFL is a major jump for Wright. It’s hard to see how his time indoors will translate to a full-sized football field. Obviously somebody around the Chiefs saw something in evaluating him and bringing him on board. Wright comes out of Fresno State and Pat Hill’s the head coach out there; he worked with Pioli in Cleveland many moons ago. During the off-season program, Wright was one of the guys who got work as a returner and its one area where he may be able to flash some of his ability. But again, returning kicks off nets indoors doesn’t exactly translate to the NFL. Wright is very definitely a long shot.
CHIEFS ALMANAC/WIDE RECEIVERS
Likely number of WRs on final roster: 4 or 5.
- A pre-camp prediction on the final WRs: Bowe, Bradley, Copper, Darling, Engram.
WRs that started in this decade: 16.
- X receiver (8): Eddie Kennison 79, Dwayne Bowe 31, Sylvester Morris 14, Snoop Minnis 11, Chris Thomas 4, Kevin Lockett 2, Dante Hall 2, Larry Parker 1.
- Z receiver (12): Johnnie Morton 43, Samie Parker 32, Derrick Alexander 27, Mark Bradley 8, Devard Darling 7, Eddie Kennison 6, Dante Hall 6, Chris Horn 3, Larry Parker 3, Jeff Webb 2, Marc Boerigter 2, Chris Thomas 1.
WRs Drafted by Chiefs in this decade: 11.
- First-Round: Sylvester Morris 2000, Dwayne Bowe 2007.
- Third-Round: Snoop Minnis 2001.
- Fourth-Round: Samie Parker 2004, Craphonso Thorpe 2005, Will Franklin 2008.
- Sixth-Round: Jeris McIntyre 2004, Jeff Webb 2006, Kevin Robinson 2008, Quinten Lawrence 2009.
- Seventh-Round: Desmond Kitchings 2000.
Top 10 Chiefs WRs With Receptions In The Decade:
| Player | Games | Catches | Yards | TD |
| Eddie Kennison |
91 |
321 |
5,230 |
25 |
| Dwayne Bowe |
32 |
156 |
2,017 |
12 |
| Dante Hall |
97 |
145 |
1,615 |
9 |
| Johnnie Morton |
43 |
134 |
1,932 |
8 |
| Samie Parker |
47 |
110 |
1,529 |
7 |
| Derrick Alexander |
29 |
105 |
1,861 |
13 |
| Sylvester Morris |
15 |
48 |
678 |
3 |
| Marc Boerigter |
41 |
39 |
697 |
8 |
| Jeff Webb |
31 |
36 |
515 |
1 |
| Snoop Minnis |
15 |
34 |
515 |
1 |
daddy-o ’search’ and ‘check’ affirming…
Bowe better get a ‘bow’ tie because the midst of a ‘hermless’ campaign, one thing is certain…
Get ready for the show! Haley and Gaily are mainly gonna bring the painly….
yes sur…
I think it was Colby that predicted some where in the neighborhood of 50 receptions for Engram, I poo pooed that, but hell, from the authors observations, he may have 70 or 80 before he gets completely used up by week 9 or so.
Props Colby!
I appreciate the weakness at the receiver position but it seems to me Pioli did a poor job preparing for 09. He could not fix all the position but keeping Webb and adding Ingram seems short sighted at best. Maybe somebody off the waiver wire would fit. I guess Haley will have to fix this.
Thanks anonymous. I’m standing by that 50 prediction give or take a couple. Engram has never been a burner but he knows how to run routes and get open and he doesn’t drop the ball if it’s well placed. I think he’ll see a lot of passes thrown his was on 3rd and 6, 3rd and 8, etc. Bowe is a better 1st or 2nd down target.
It’s telling that Bowe is already the 2nd-most productive WR of this decade for the Chiefs after just two seasons of work. I know that Gonzalez was a big factor in that, not to mention our strong ground game with Priest and LJ, but those figures are a little surprising. Vermeil and Saunders managed to put together an epic offense here without epic WRs, maybe ours has a chance to be good this year under Haley. However, the lack of Gonzalez is still scary (even though I liked the trade) and while I don’t think our line is garbage, it sure isn’t what it used to be.
Finally, even though I like Lawrence’s speed, I would rather see Savage make the team as a return man. He got valuable time in last year, works like a beast, and is consistent. He didn’t break any for six, but he had several 40-50 yard returns last year where he broke an arm tackle or two before being pulled down by two players.
Once again, Matt Jones anyone?
Matt Jones, yes. KC should get him in here yesterday.
I would be good with Matt Jones.
Matt Jones is probably worth the risk at this point since he could be had on the cheap. I know we already have an old receiver in Engram, but I’d not be at all upset if they signed Amani Toomer either.
Trading Tony Gonzalez–something I advocated two contacts ago–gets Pioli/Haley a 5 year free pass from me. Tony is a great player and to me he had his best year ever last year; but he is not a wide receiver and should not have ever been the number one receiving option. This trade alone will make the receivers better because they will have more opportunities and have their heads more into the game.
An interesting point brainsmasher. That being said, our guys have to respond to the challenge, but I do think that Engram will help ease the pain of losing Gonzalez in 3rd down situations.
If Engram stays healthy he will be the guy that gets Tony’s catches. Our receiver core is certainly suspect and a reason for concern. They will test Haley’s ability to work with receivers. If Haley can get good production out of this crew he will win a lot of us over.
I think Darling finally has his breakthough season this year and surpasses all expectations. It was telling that Haley had him at #2 for alot of the OTA’s, ahead of Bradley. He was open alot last year deep, towards the end of the season, but they couldn’t connect. I think he and Bradley will both get alot of #2 work. I agree with Bob’s prediction of the 5 that will make the roster.
Agree with Brainsmasher on Tony G.
I see some pretty respectable names in FA at a number of different positions. Chiefs can make several significant moves if things aren’t working out at WR (or LB or OL), after they get a better notion of what they have with the pads on.
While I’m sure Pioli ‘n Co. did their best to get the best 80 guys they could before training camp, they could easily go to the well for a FA, and probably will, at some point.
A quick overview of the Chief’s WRs:
No impact speed among the group
There will have to be a premium on staying healthy, running precise routes and catching most everything thrown their way.
Memo to Cassel/Thigpen: You’ve been dealt a WR hand that might play or might be better to fold. You’ll find out soon enough as will the rest of us.
Pre-camp prediction for final roster: Bowe, Bradley, Engram, Darling…and, no idea. Could be any one of the rest, or someone not yet on the team. All of the rest of the guys have some interesting skills that could land them a niche on the team. Training camp battles will tell.
As long as we can have success in the running game…I think we’ll be okay at WR.
However…
If we get to where we’re having to pass all the time…we’ll be in big trouble.
“Once again, Matt Jones anyone?”
No thanks. We’ll talk to him (maybe) after any/all suspensions and proven rehabilitation - at the league minimum.
Stay positive? Bowe not a deep threat and sometimes drops the ball, decent overall WR record. Engram old but can still play at least for 8 games. Bradley and Darling alway on the edge of being something special but never really make it, lots of potential there. Yeah, these WR’s something we can use in 09, sure. It is what we are stuck with.
New coaches…guys are in shape this year…a new QB. New philosophies…a different approach…a winning attitude. That might just make a difference in a couple of these guys. And hopefully, not just with the WR’s…but throughout the whole team.
“Trading Tony Gonzalez–something I advocated two contacts ago–gets Pioli/Haley a 5 year free pass from me.”
H-E-L-P NO it doesn’t from me! Don Pioli (possibly with the advisement of Haley) made this call and should be accountable for it (good, bad or otherwise). 2009 season is VERY much part of Pioli’s evaluation period on this trade - just like the 2008 season-long training camp was for Herm/CP. If Pioli has failed to upgrade the roster in connection with a decision that creates a downgrade, then that hits his resume just like the decision to get Cassel for a 2nd rounder makes him brilliant if it works out.
For everyone who are fans of HERM or who are fans of the guys Rin calls “Search” and “Check,” please note…I am a CHIEFS FAN first. If my team goes in a direction that makes my team better, I’ll support them. We liked Gonzalez and wished he stayed on this roster until he retired. That being said - (and you are well aware of my anger on TG being traded) - if our team ends up a contender this year and does not suffer in 2009 from TG being gone - then good for KC. However, if our team’s passing game and running game SUCKS and ends up decimated and ends up looking like we think the OAKLAND RAIDERS look every year, and it’s because our game-changing tight end is practicing the DIRTY BIRD with the Falcons, then…Sorry - I can’t ignore that.
I hear you, SG.
I’m among those who think the Gonzalez deal was the right thing to do, but it was a trade-off of short-term success for long-term success. In that sense it was like Herm’s rebuilding idea. And, as with the rebuild, you don’t get a free pass just because you did what you had to do. You’ve still got to find a way to make things work on the field.
I disagree, though, that the Chiefs HAVE to be contenders in 2009. Maybe the Chiefs would have been contenders in 2009 with Gonzalez, but that’s not a given. And even if they were, what were they going to do when Gonzalez retired at the end of the season, as he was threatening to do? In the end, what would they have gained by keeping him except appeasing some of the fan base?
What the Chiefs have to show in 2009 is that there’s a viable plan for Life After Tony. I, for one, will be very happy if the Chiefs can develop an offense that’s more than trick plays, QB scrambles, and passes to the tight end.
Devard Darling will have the most surprising season. Early prediction, but I think he has a lot of talent.
Real Rin daddy-o says that ‘fake’ Rin - 1st post this blog at the top - still cannot ‘catch on’ to the knack Real Rin
Much the same as a Duh-wayne ‘Buttafangers’ Bowe cannot but catch on to nee grasp the concept nor the football with any consistency game to game…
Not daddy-o, that Bowe…
“What the Chiefs have to show in 2009 is that there’s a viable plan for Life After Tony.”
Agreed. Not required to be contenders, but Pioli is certainly not exempt from being evaluated based on what’s left in the pantry after we deal Tony - since his decision brought about one less key feature item in the pantry. Also, if we use the pick and other things to go get a guy like Boldin (or someone else not mentioned yet), then that comes into play too.
Rip: Agree. Other than Quinten Lawrence, I don’t see any “impact speed.” Without it, the better D’s will have their way with ‘em.
SG: Disagree with you about Tony G, but I respect your opinion. ALL my arguments for ditchin’ the guy relate to all the tight years under the cap when we were payin’ top dollar to TE and LB and dissin’ our corners and defensive linemen. I’m OK with the Tony trade, but I have to admit your side of the Tony G sitch is stronger in a year when KC’s so well-positioned with respect to the salary cap.
Much as I respect BOTH Tony G and Derrick T as players and men, there were a couple contract years, there, when these two players could’ve been STATESMEN, and bargained for one or two MORE players, to put the team over the top, and they just took the money. I felt like Grbac, McGlockton, and (Dan) Williams had similar anti-championship selfishness. Peterson’s biggest blind spot.