Kansas City Chiefs: Top Free-Agency Targets at Wide Receiver
There is no doubt that general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid have wide receiver high on their list for positions in need of improvement. Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery, Jason Avant, Junior Hemingway or Albert Wilson—none of these wide receivers caught a touchdown pass the entire season.
The Kansas City Chiefs relied more on tight end Travis Kelce and running back Jamaal Charles to help out in the passing game. If Kansas City has a multidimensional offense, then the Chiefs will become a high-scoring offense and give fans at Arrowhead Stadium a lot to roar about.
In this slideshow, we list some wide receivers whose contracts are up and whom the Chiefs should target and consider. Realistically, not all of the players listed will sign with Kansas City and it is doubtful that all of them become available. But odds are, half of these receivers will test free agency.
Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
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Jeremy Maclin is an obvious player to target from the fans' perspective because of the fact that Reid drafted him while he was in Philadelphia. Many Chiefs fans would be behind this move since Maclin is a former Missouri Tiger.
With a strong contingency of Tigers fans and a desperate need for help at wide receiver, fans would be ecstatic for this signing.
After missing all of 2013 with an injury, he returned to the Eagles for one more season and had a career year. Maclin set single-season career numbers for receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,318) while also tying his 2010 touchdown total, pulling in 10 passes in the end zone, which is 1,000 percent more than all of Kansas City's wide receivers combined.
Maclin posses great speed and is one of the fastest wide receivers today.
After DeSean Jackson left the Eagles, Maclin became the new No. 1 receiver and proved he is capable of handling those duties and can do so in Kansas City under Reid.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
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Don't be surprised if the Chiefs contact Randall Cobb's agent if he decides to hit free agency. Dorsey was the director of college scouting with the Green Bay Packers when the franchise drafted Cobb.
While spending some time with the Packers as a return specialist, Cobb showcased his breakaway speed, making it hard for defenders to bring him down. Like Maclin, Cobb also had a career year in 2014. He started 16 games for the first time in his career while he caught 91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Though Cobb put up astonishing numbers, he did not lead the Packers in catches, yards or touchdowns, surprisingly.
Jordy Nelson led the Packers in all three of those categories. If Cobb joins the Chiefs, where he would be the only viable wide receiver on the team, his statistics could go up if he and Alex Smith have a strong chemistry on the field.
Wes Welker, Denver Broncos
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The 2014 campaign was not a good one for Wes Welker, dealing with multiple injuries and a suspension for the first two games of the season after failing a drug test. After the league changed his suspension to two games after originally giving him four, Welker returned to action right away but was not the player we all knew.
Since 2007 when Welker joined the Patriots and improved his playing career, 2014 was his least productive season as he had 49 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns.
Welker, who turns 34 in May, would still be a great asset to the Chiefs. Although Smith gets criticized for most of his passes being dinks and dunks, he might as well throw those short passes to a speedy receiver like Welker.
But if Welker joins the Chiefs, it would be the first time since 2007 that he would play with a team whose quarterback is not Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, and it would be interesting to see if he can still produce and play at a high level.
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Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
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Prior to Manning's arrival in Denver, Demaryius Thomas saw some success on the field. But his numbers shot up when Manning become his quarterback.
He posted back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons in his first two years playing with Manning. This past year was Thomas' best season statistically, catching 111 passes for 1,619 yards, and he was second behind Antonio Brown in both categories.
In the final three regular-season games, Thomas logged at least 115 receiving yards and at least six catches in each of the three contests.
But can he find this much success and dominate without Manning on his team? Like Welker, it is reasonable to question if Thomas can play at a high level with the Chiefs if Smith is his quarterback.
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
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Dez Bryant is the least likely to become a free agent out of everyone on this list, and there is a really good chance he returns to Dallas. But on the off chance he and the Cowboys can't come to terms and if he becomes a free agent in March, then every NFL team, including the Chiefs, will reach out.
How much interest would the Chiefs have in Bryant? Is 16 touchdowns, a 1,600 percent improvement from Kansas City's wide receivers, enough of a reason?
In fact, Bryant's touchdown totals have gone up in each of the five years he has played in the NFL. With Tony Romo having his best season under center, it allowed Bryant to do better as well.
He caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards to go along with his 16 scores. His first multi-touchdown game came in Week 10 as he went on to finish with four games with at least two or more touchdown grabs, including a three-touchdown game against the Eagles in Week 15.
With Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray also set to be a free agent, Jerry Jones will be forced to spend a lot of money. If Jones picks Murray over Bryant to re-sign first, negotiating with Bryant and his agent becomes more difficult due to the amount of cap space the Cowboys would have after Murray's possible new contract.
Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers
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We mentioned possible reunions with Maclin and Reid, as well as Cobb and Dorsey, but how about reuniting two players? Smith and Michael Crabtree would be nice to see again.
Crabtree's only 1,000-yard receiving season came in 2012, which was Smith's last season wit the 49ers before losing his starting job to injury. Since Smith was traded for Kansas City, Crabtree's numbers have gone down.
Familiarity, whether it is with a coach or a player, is always big in the NFL. Crabtree played with Smith from 2009 until midway through the 2012 season. Three-and-a-half years of familiarity is a lot, and it could be beneficial to the Chiefs.
A change of scenery might be what Crabtree needs to start doing well again. Perhaps Kansas City, where his old quarterback plays, could help.
Statistics courtesy of NFL.com.
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