Kansas City Chiefs: 10 Bold Offseason Predictions For Kansas City
As the 2010 NFL season begins to wind to a halt, many football personnel and fans begin to turn their attention toward the upcoming off season and what it has in store for each team.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, this will be another pivotal offseason as the regime of GM Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley continue to try to re-build a successful franchise in Kansas City once again.
The pressure will be on these two as they attempt to accomplish what they were hired to do: change the culture of the team into one that includes winning in the future.
I predict that there will more activity this offseason than the last two with Pioli and Haley, as the Chiefs are becoming more and more serious about winning football games.
There WIll Be a Trade Involving Cardinals Receiver Larry Fitzgerald
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The addition of frustrated Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald to the Chiefs has been a rumor for quite some time.
After all, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley used to be his offensive coordinator in Arizona and it has been reported that Fitzgerald would play anywhere for Haley, including if he had to go to Canada.
I say that it will finally go down this offseason by way of a trade where KC gives Arizona a combination of draft picks which could be a first and third rounder or possibly two second round picks.
Brodie Croyle WIll Be Traded for a Late-Round Draft Pick
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Chiefs backup QB Brodie Croyle hasn't impressed the new regime much and has proved to be somewhat of a liability this season if he is called on to start a game.
I think that the Chiefs will go after a QB in this year's draft that they believe could become a solid backup to current starter Matt Cassel in the future.
I expect a deal to be made for Croyle, and the return will likely be in the area of a fifth-round pick in the '11 NFL draft.
Tamba Hali WIll Be Signed to a Long-Term Deal
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There is little doubt that the Chiefs best pass rusher is fifth-year linebacker Tamba Hali.
Hali accumulated a career-high 11 sacks this season and still has two more games left to add on to that solid total.
Kansas City has already locked up his fellow linebacker, Derrick Johnson, to a five-year deal early this season and many believe that Tamba will be the next big defensive player to get a big contract from Pioli and Co.
The Chiefs should make this happen early this off season, as Hali will become a free agent when the free agency period begins in early 2011.
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Dwayne Bowe Will Be Signed to a Long-Term Deal
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Bowe has been one of the most frustrating receivers in recent memory of the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, he has turned up his game this season to the tune of 941 receiving yards in just 14 games played to go along with 14 touchdowns.
He is currently in contract with the team through the '11 season, but I believe that KC will give him a big deal this offseason as he will be coming off of arguable his best season with the team.
Another Player Will Be Thrown into Haley's Doghouse
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In nearly two seasons as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Todd Haley has rubbed some people the wrong way by being harder on certain players on his team.
In his first season, Haley benched starting linebacker Derrick Johnson for much of the season and dropped incumbent starting receiver Dwayne Bowe to third string for much of the preseason.
I think he will continue to do this this offseason as this is Haley's way of sending messages to his players, and so far it has worked well with these two guys and some others including RB Jamaal Charles who are all having breakout seasons this year for the Chiefs.
There Will Be Another WR Added to the Team Through Free Agency
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With the future addition of Fitzgerald and current receiver Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs still wouldn't have much at that position other than rookie Dexter McCluster.
There will be a large pool of wide receivers that will become free agents after this season, including Packers receiver James Jones.
Adding Jones would give the Chiefs a solid down-field threat for QB Matt Cassel and will make KC's passing offense that much better.
The 2011 Chiefs Draft Class Will Not Be As Good As the Team's '10 Class
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The Chiefs seem to have struck gold with their 2010 NFL draft class, many of their picks have had a big impact on the team this season.
From this past class, the team has netted at least three solid starters and potentially more in the near future.
This class could go down as arguably the best one in Chiefs history, and possibly NFL history. It is unlikely that KC can match this seemingly excellent draft class for a second-straight year in 2011.
They Will Draft a LB in the First Round of the '11 NFL Draft
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The Chiefs need another pass-rushing threat at LB opposite Tamba Hali, and without knowing what young linebackers Andy Studebaker and Cameron Sheffield offer, they have no choice but to go with a strong pass rusher in the first round of next year's draft.
Another strong outside linebacker that can get to the QB consistently is one of the only things that is holding this young Chiefs defense back so far this season.
I look for KC to take a long look at Texas A & M product Von Miller, as he will be one of the best pass rushers in this years draft and has piled up an amazing 32 sacks in his college career.
They Will Draft a NT in One of the Early Rounds of the '11 NFL Draft
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After ignoring this position in last year's draft, the Chiefs will likely get a nose tackle in the '11 draft, as this is a glaring position of need on their defense right now.
This has been a position of need for years on this team as they have often gone with a journeyman player such as Ron Edwards this season.
In next year's draft, they could look to target the big, 330-pound Jerrell Powe from Mississippi who is a beast and is projected to go in the first couple rounds of the draft.
They Will Draft a Center in One of the Early Rounds of the '11 NFL Draft
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With the aging Casey Wiegmann running out of time in his NFL career, the Chiefs will likely draft a new center in next year's draft.
It's unclear that the teams is going to do with backup Rudy Niswanger, but he has been very inconsistent in his young career and his future doesn't look bright if he had a hard time beating out the 37-year old Wiegmann this season.
Look for the Chiefs to draft a player like Georgia's Ben Jones in the upcoming draft in April.
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