Kansas City Chiefs: Acquiring Sidney Rice Would Give KC Another Playmaker

The Kansas City Chiefs began this offseason with many holes on their current team, with many citing wide receiver as the most obvious weakness heading into the '11 campaign.

Last season, former first-round pick Dwayne Bowe had a breakout year, catching 72 passes for 1,162 yards and 15 touchdowns as he was selected to his first ever Pro Bowl.

However, the team possessed no solid receiving options outside of Bowe, other than rookie tight end Tony Moeaki, who had 556 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a run-heavy offense.

It became pretty clear early on that the team was in dire need of another solid wideout opposite Bowe if they wanted to become successful in the future.

Veteran Chris Chambers was re-signed before the '10 season and was nearly invisible during the season, as he caught just 22 passes for 213 yards during the year.

Rookie Dexter McCluster showed flashes of greatness when he had the ball in his hands, but was largely a non-factor in the passing game, as injuries limited him to just over 200 yards receiving in 11 games played.

The team's lack of receiving options really hurt the Chiefs in their playoff game against the Ravens in January, as Matt Cassel threw for just 70 yards through the air and was picked off three times in the loss.

With the Chiefs desperate for another solid receiver, that is where Sidney Rice enters the conversation.

The 24-year-old Rice has the game-breaking and big play ability that could really give a boost to KC's passing attack.

The former South Carolina star had 83 receptions for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns back in 2009, and at 6'4", he can create matchup problems for many corner backs in the AFC.

It has also been reported that the Vikings will likely not re-sign Rice before the NFL free agency period begins, which could still be awhile depending on how quickly the current labor dispute is settled.

Signing Rice also has a downside, as he has only put together one solid season in his four-year NFL career and he could also require a couple of high draft picks and a good chunk of money to get him to Kansas City.

Whatever the risk, Scott Pioli needs to go after Rice as soon as free agency begins if this offense is ever going to make the leap to elite status in this league.

Rice would help Bowe, Cassel and the running game, but most of all, he would help the Chiefs become a better overall team.