I know there has been some talk of the Chiefs potentially pursuing former Arizona running back Edgerrin James now that he is a free agent, but Boldin would provide a higher impact.

And it is completely feasible.

Boldin can likely still be had for a second-round pick after not being traded during the last weekend's draft. Kansas City has two second-round picks in 2010 as a result of the Tony Gonzalez trade to Atlanta last week.

continue reading...

Alex Magee has one fan already playing in the NFL.

"I know Alex is a hard worker and he is really dedicated," said former Purdue tight end and Lafayette native Dustin Keller, who was drafted in the first round by the New York Jets last year. "He is going to do big things when he goes to the NFL."

That opportunity came Sunday when the 6-foot-3, 298-pound defensive tackle was the Kansas City Chiefs' third-round selection. Magee was one of two former Boilermakers selected Sunday. Quarterback Curtis Painter was a sixth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts.

Chiefs coach Todd Haley likes Magee's versatility.

"(He) was an inside tackle who was asked to change positions and move out to an end last year," Haley said. "He did it unselfishly and, at the same time, added to his versatility.

"He's a big, long-armed guy and we like that type of build playing the end. It gives us another guy that has a chance to come in and compete right away on first, second and third down because of his inside experience."

continue reading...

Cap room: $31.6 million.

What's left to do: The Chiefs are swimming in cap room. It wouldn't be a surprise if Kansas City signs  quarterback Matt Cassel to a lucrative contract extension to eat some room. The Chiefs still need a big-time pass-rusher. They have plenty of room to pursue defensive end Jason Taylor if they choose to.

source...

Under the twenty-year dictatorship of GM Carl Peterson, the Kansas City Chiefs amassed an impressive yet impotent record of 176-141-1. In that time span, the Chiefs secured four AFC West titles but only a single visit to the AFC Championship game in 1993. The firing of Peterson and the eventual signing of Scott Pioli as his successor, was both over due and widely welcomed.

However, like a Las Vegas drive-thru wedding, this union between Pioli and the Chiefs is already beginning to show some unexpected wear. This could be a rush to judgment based on nothing more than newlywed jitters, but the erosion is clear and the concerns warranted. A closer examination of the foundational cracks in this young relationship should help to clarify or disclaim any need for worry.

continue reading...

There’s a perception out there among Chiefs fans that the Chiefs had a lousy group of scouts, given their spotty draft record over the years. But I can tell you from talking to people around the league about the Chiefs scouts that they had a good group; these were well-respected people.

I’m using the past tense here because the Chiefs fired a number of their college scouts, and among those fired was Chuck Cook, the director of college scouting.

Now, there’s no arguing the Chiefs have had some spotty drafts over the years, but for that you can blame Carl Peterson, who was in charge and made the final call. I can tell you some instances where the Chiefs went against their draft board to reach for a player at a position of need and it just didn’t work out. That’s the kind of thing that gets you into trouble on draft day.

Now, Scott Pioli came in, he wants his own people in there and you can’t blame him for that. I think a lot of these scouts knew this day was coming. But don’t cast a negative eye toward them because of this. They’re all good football people, and they’ll all stay in the business if that’s what they choose to do.

source...

Williamson's Take

The Kansas City Star laments the loss of some good people in the Kansas City organization.

My take: The firing of scouts after a regime change is normal course in the NFL. So, the firing Monday of several scouts by new Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli is not out of the ordinary. The fired scouts may have been good people and good at their job, but new bosses usually want their own people in place and that's the case in Kansas City.

source...

The overhaul of a front office that generated six wins in the past two seasons and no playoff wins during tight end Tony Gonzalez’s entire tenure with the team continues.

Gone is V.P. of player personnel Bill Kuharich, according to BobGretz.com.

Gretz writes that Kuharich is the seventh front-office employee to be terminated this week.

continue reading...

The Chiefs' decision-makers spent a long couple of days in an undisclosed room/bunker/foxhole at team headquarters over the weekend, consummating the first NFL draft of the Scott Pioli-Todd Haley era.

But they're not finished. They can't be. They better not be. Even after the Chiefs added eight new players, not counting the rookie free agents, Kansas City still has a world of holes yet to fill and some position groups that remain troubling.

They teach you in economics class about a thing called opportunity cost. You save your $5, but you don't get that fried baloney sandwich. You go on that vacation, but your savings is shot. You draft a 3-4 defensive end in the first round, and you miss on a potential superstar linebacker. The Chiefs' opportunity cost was an unavoidable reality, and that made each of Pioli's decisions much more valuable and pressure-packed. Those eight picks had to be right, and at least half of those need to add depth or a starter to a position in need.

continue reading...