Da'Rick Rogers, Terrelle Pryor Perfect No-Risk, High-Reward Signings for Chiefs

Signing free agents in January is usually a footnote, but the Kansas City Chiefs managed to make two noteworthy signings on Wednesday in quarterback Terrelle Pryor and wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers. What sets them apart from other players not on a roster at this time of year is that both players have elite athleticism—even by NFL standards.

The Chiefs are taking virtually no risk in bringing them in, but the reward could very well be significant at positions of need. For signings of this type, they’re perfect even if neither make the 53-man roster in 2015.

By signing them now, the Chiefs maximize the odds that they can develop into contributors because they’ll spend the entire offseason program with the team. If they don’t work out, the Chiefs have done little more than waste two of 90 offseason roster spots.

Obviously, both Pryor and Rogers come with thorns. Pryor’s is his ability to play the quarterback position, while Rogers has documented personal conduct issues that include a drug problem at the University of Tennessee and a DUI in September that prompted his release from the Indianapolis Colts.

Per Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star, Rogers said he knew what his issue was going back to the predraft process.

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It is simple — immaturity. I had to take full responsibility, look in the mirror at who I was and what I was doing wrong. I did those things when I went to Tennessee Tech and it humbled me a lot. I was working on those things and am still working on those things. It is a work in progress.

"

Rogers was just starting to get playing time when he got the DUI. If he can overcome some of his issues, he has an excellent opportunity to earn a roster spot. At 6’2” and over 210 pounds, Rogers is a physical receiver with speed to boot, which probably makes him the most gifted athlete the Chiefs have at wide receiver.

In his first extensive action toward the end of the 2013 season, Rogers caught six passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns for the Indianapolis Colts. Bowe hasn’t had a game that good since 2011, when he had 128 yards and two scores. The Chiefs don’t have a quarterback like Andrew Luck, but Rogers’ raw talent is still undeniable on film.

Player	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns	Years
Da'Rick Rogers (5 Career Games)	6	107	2	2013
Dwayne Bowe (118 Career Games)	8	102	2	2012
Dwayne Bowe	7	128	2	2011
Dwayne Bowe	13	170	3	2010
Dwayne Bowe	6	109	2	2010
Dwayne Bowe	13	186	2	2010
Dwayne Bowe	6	108	2	2010

Rogers went undrafted, but many believed him to be a first-round talent at the time. That’s why he’s getting a third shot after flaming out with the Buffalo Bills and Colts. He’s an interesting player.

It was Rogers’ 46-yard reception in the third quarter against the Chiefs that sparked the Colts’ comeback in the playoffs last year. If Rogers can stay out of trouble and develop in Kansas City, that might take some sting out of that loss.

The Chiefs can save $11 million in cash by releasing Bowe, although they would have to decide to take a cap hit of $9 million in 2015 or spread it out over two seasons. If the Chiefs were to release Bowe, they would have paid him over $24 million for the last two seasons of below-average production.

All these moves would seem like a fairytale if not for head coach Andy Reid and the necessity for general manager John Dorsey to re-sign outside linebacker Justin Houston. The Chiefs will have to maneuver to get the cap space to pay Houston, and they’ll want at least a little flexibly for free agency.

Reid has proven he can develop quarterbacks, and the risk would be minimal of turning to Pryor, Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray as long as Smith stays healthy. Cutting a high-priced backup quarterback is among the easiest ways a team can save cap dollars.

With the addition of Pryor, the Chiefs now have five quarterbacks on the roster, and the primary backup, Chase Daniel, will make $3.75 million in 2015. They’ll need that money unless the cap jumps significantly more than expected because the Chiefs have just about $1 million in free space to sign Houston.

Split	Comp. %	Pass Yards/Start	TD/Start	INT/Start	Rush Yards/Start
First 4 Starts	68.3	211.25	1.0	0.5	57.25
Last 7 Games (5 Starts)	50.6	190.6	0.6	1.8	69.4
Alex Smith 2013-2014	62.9	219.3	1.4	.43	22.8

In Pryor’s first four games as a starter in 2013, he was actually a serviceable quarterback. Pryor completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 845 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions and added 229 rushing yards before he went to Arrowhead and Houston and Tamba Hali knocked him around.

After four games completing at least 62.5 percent of his passes, Pryor never eclipsed 55.3 percent passing and threw three times as many interceptions (nine) as touchdowns (three). Reid gave Michael Vick a lucrative contract extension that was part of his downfall in Philadelphia, but he has experience with running quarterbacks.

That was before teams were doing a lot of zone-read stuff. Now, having to choose between stopping running back Jamaal Charles and Pryor could be quite difficult. Throw in a triple option with De’Anthony Thomas, and the Chiefs could be cooking with gas.

At worst, Pryor gives the Chiefs another dynamic athlete for Reid to tinker with. If Reid can coax more out of Pryor where others have failed, he might turn into a valuable backup.

There's a lot of upside here, which is really abnormal for these types of signings. To get two such examples at the same time is truly noteworthy. If the Chiefs could also land Duron Carter, whom they worked out Wednesday, they'd have three high-upside players from the unlikeliest of sources.