Jeremy Maclin Is Exactly What the Kansas City Chiefs Need to Take the Next Step

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off two successful seasons under the leadership of general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid. While the Chiefs didn’t accomplish all of their goals, there’s nothing wrong with averaging 10 wins per season.

However, to win a playoff game for the first time since the 1993 season, the Chiefs have to figure out how to improve the roster without gobs of salary-cap space or mortgaging the future.

So they signed one of the premier free agents on the market in wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who is exactly what the team needs to take the next step.

Dorsey explained just how perfect a fit Maclin is for the Chiefs, via KCChiefs.com:

"

From my perspective, it’s very rare to get a man of this quality as a person at the age of 26 who has a seamless transition into a system that he is familiar with. Jeremy, not only does he produce on the field, but he’s such a great person and the age-factor component for it is very special. It’s a very rare thing.

"

A lot has been made of the fact that the Chiefs didn’t have a wide receiver who caught a touchdown pass last season. While that has been overblown, there was little doubt they needed an upgrade at the position.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, indications are that the Chiefs will release wide receiver Dwayne Bowe this week, which only compounds the need.

A bigger issue than the touchdowns is the yardage. Bowe was the last Chiefs wide receiver to go over 1,000 yards, but that was a full year before Dorsey and Reid arrived and brought in quarterback Alex Smith. Bowe was also the Chiefs’ leading receiver for the last two years but never eclipsed 800 yards.

That’s not good enough to be a No. 1 receiver, but the Chiefs were paying him like one.

Player	Age	Rec/Game	Yards/Game	TD/Game	Yards/Rec
Bowe	30	4.5	60.6	0.37	13.4
Maclin	26	4.6	63.6	0.48	13.9
Difference	-4	+0.1	+3.0	+0.11	+0.5

At 26, Maclin is four years younger than Bowe and coming off a career year. Maclin’s 85 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns last season amounted to a better season than Bowe has ever had. Bowe caught 86 passes back in 2008 and more than 10 touchdowns in 2010, but he’s never been close to the yards or put it all together like Maclin did.

Maclin’s worst season as a pro was his rookie year and he still had more yards than Bowe averaged over the last two years. The two are also easily comparable because Maclin played in Reid’s offense for his first four years.

The fact that Maclin played for Reid also minimizes the risk of handing him a $12 million signing bonus and $10.5 million in base salary guarantees over the next two years. According to Joel Corry of CBS Sports, his $22.5 million is a full guarantee at signing, so the Chiefs can’t get out of paying it.

Year	Base (Guaranteed)	Prorated Signing Bonus	Workout	Cap Charge
2015	($750,000)	$2,400,000	$250,000	$3,400,000
2016	($9,750,000)	$2,400,000	$250,000	$12,400,000
2017	$9,750,000	$2,400,000	$250,000	$12,400,000
2018	$10,750,000	$2,400,000	$250,000	$13,400,000
2019	$10,750,000	$2,400,000	$250,000	$13,400,000

Low risk was important because the Chiefs didn’t want to get into a position where a signing doesn’t work out.

In that case, they would end up without what they need while taking a big cap hit in order to move on from a player. 

The Chiefs used a signing bonus that prorates over the five years of his deal to navigate around having limited cap space in 2015, so for every year following an early release, they would have to take a cap penalty of $2.4 million.

Aside from being familiar with Reid, young, an upgrade over Bowe and reasonably affordable, he’s above all a great fit for Smith. That’s very important if the Chiefs hope to maximize Maclin’s talent and make sure he doesn’t end up as a bust after one year of top production.

At this stage of his career, Smith is what he is. He’s shockingly consistent. He’s perhaps the definition of a mediocre quarterback, but put pieces around him and he can perform well enough to win playoff games.

That’s why it’s imperative for the Chiefs to give him weapons.

Of course, not every weapon would be a good fit with Smith. The notion that Smith won’t throw deep or into traffic is well-established—so much so that it’s essentially etched in stone. It’s just not what he does, and it’s part of the reason why re-signing Bowe remains one of Dorsey’ worst decisions as general manager.

What Smith is good at is executing Reid’s offense and getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

Maclin was already well aware of Smith’s strengths and those of the other playmakers on the team, via KCChiefs.com:

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I know [Alex Smith is] a very intelligent quarterback. I think that he does a great job of commanding the huddle. Jamaal (Charles) is a phenomenal talent. Travis (Kelce) is one of the great young tight ends in this league. It doesn’t stop there; you’ve got De’Anthony Thomas.

It’s going to be fun. I think the more the better, to have different types of guys who do different things and take the pressure off of each other.

I think we are going to be pretty good on the offensive side of the ball.

"

They may do different things, but they have one thing in common: They run after the catch. Kelce led the league with 7.5 yards after the catch per reception among tight ends in 2014. Slot receiver De’Anthony Thomas and running back Jamaal Charles averaged 8.7 and 8.1 yards after the catch per reception, respectively.

Not mentioned by Maclin was running back Knile Davis, who averaged 10.0 yards after the catch per reception.

Running after catches also happens to be what Maclin did very well in 2014. Only five receivers were better after the catch on a per-catch basis than Maclin, who averaged 6.0 yards a pop.

Three of the five receivers who were better after the catch were Randall Cobb, DeSean Jackson and Jordan Matthews, all of whom have at least some ties to the Chiefs.

Dorsey helped draft Cobb as a key member of the Green Bay Packers’ front office, Jackson played for many years under Reid and John Schneider, another GM who was a Ron Wolf disciple like Dorsey and worked for the Packers, drafted Matthews.

The Chiefs not only have a quarterback who needs players who can do something after the catch, but the team leadership places a big emphasis on it.

Signing Maclin also means the Chiefs don’t have to feel any pressure to draft a wide receiver, which means they can draft the best player available.

With so many needs on the offensive line and minimal cap resources, the Chiefs couldn’t go into the draft with such a glaring need. The Chiefs were so thin at that spot they would’ve been desperate to pick a game-changing player, which can be tough to find when drafting in the bottom half of the first round.

By signing Maclin, the Chiefs got exactly the type of player they need to get them to the next level.

Now all Dorsey has to do is continue to execute his plan to beef up the offensive line and build depth. With a little luck, the Chiefs could be well on their way to another postseason appearance, but with a more competitive offense.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via Pro-Football-Reference.com or Pro Football Focus.