Chiefs Release Tackle Eric Winston

Just days after placing the franchise tag on left tackle Branden Albert, the Chiefs have released right tackle Eric Winston.  The release may signal that the team is heavily leaning towards drafting a tackle with their first overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Winston had signed a four-year, $22 million contract with Kansas City a year ago, and this move saves the Chiefs $5.5 million in cash and $3.5 million in cap space. Winston, who was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft, became one of the better right tackles in the league before the Chiefs made a move for him in last year’s free agency period. Winston had a decent season for Kansas City, but the Chiefs are looking to get younger, and Winston may not be a strong fit for new head coach Andy Reid’s man-on-man blocking system after spending his career in a zone scheme.

Winston became famous in Kansas City for criticizing Chiefs fans for cheering when quarterback Matt Cassel got injured in a game last season. Winston told the media he understood Kansas City’s decision, and was appreciative that they released him quickly so he could catch on with another team.

In response to his release, Winston called the move “philosophical” and also suggested that the team will likely draft an offensive lineman with its top overall pick. Most draft experts believe that Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel or Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher could be likely targets for Kansas City.

One issue the Chiefs may face if they draft Joeckel or Fisher is dealing with Albert, who has made it clear he does not want to move to the right side of the line. The team could try to trade Albert to a team that is desperate for a good left tackle, or convince him to move to right tackle or guard. The Chiefs also could keep Albert at left tackle and use Joeckel or Fisher on the right side of the line.

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NFL Draft Analysts Predict Chiefs Will Trade Down Or Select Texas A&M Tackle Luke Joekel

With the end of the NFL season only a few weeks away, draft talk is starting to heat up. Holding the top selection in the draft, the Chiefs have been the center of a lot of speculation regarding who they may pick. While many fans think the team should draft its quarterback of the future with the top pick, several draft experts are now predicting that Kansas City will trade down or select Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joekel.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper believes only four players are worthy of the top overall selection: Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones, Texas A&M OLB Damontre Moore, Utah DT Star Lotulelei and Joekel. Kansas City already Tamba Hali and Justin Houston as pass rushers in the team’s 3-4 defense, and has drafted a defensive lineman in the first round three of the past five years.

It is also unknown at this time if the team plans on resigning left tackle Branden Albert. If the Chiefs draft Joekel, they could release Albert or resign him and move him to right tackle or guard.

The biggest question new Chiefs GM John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid will have to make is whether the top two quarterbacks available – Matt Barkley and Geno Smith – are worth the top overall pick. Most draft analysts think the two quarterbacks are top ten material, but not worth the top pick in the draft. This presents the Chiefs with an interesting option - the team could potentially trade down a few spots in the first round and still get either Barkley or Smith. While they wouldn’t get a ransom mirroring what Washington gave up to move up and select Robert Griffin III, the team could end up with its quarterback of the future and an extra draft pick or two. The Chiefs would have to find another team desperate for a pass rusher or left tackle to make a deal.

There will also be several veteran quarterbacks looking for a starting opportunity this offseason and the Chiefs may opt to go with one for the next couple of years and wait to see if it can find a quarterback in a future draft.

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Chiefs Hire John Dorsey As General Manager

John Dorsey, a longtime personnel man for the Green Bay Packers, has been hired as the new general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will be hosting a press conference today in which Dorsey will be officially introduced.

After a five year playing career in Green Bay, Dorsey joined the Packers’ front office, where he moved up the ranks and became a key contributor to the organization. Dorsey served as the director of college scouting from 2000 through 2012, a period in which the Packers built a talented team through the draft that consistently made the playoffs and won the 2011 Super Bowl. Dorsey spent last season as the director of football operations.

Dorsey also has a close relationship with new Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Reid was an assistant coach for the Packers from 1992 through 1998, a period in which Dorsey worked as a college scout.

The hiring of Dorsey should be considered a home run by Chiefs fans. The Packers won the Super Bowl in 2011 with a starting lineup nearly entirely made up of players the team drafted, including Pro Bowl caliber players such as Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, B.J. Raji, James Jones, Casey Hayward and others. The Packers have consistently drafted well and signed undrafted free agents that have become productive NFL starters, such as Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. Poor drafting was one of the biggest criticisms of former GM Scott Pioli’s tenure, as the Chiefs often used high selections on average to below-average players and failed to build a deep roster that could sustain injuries.

As the Chiefs start their rebuilding process, the team will need to draft well and add young talent to the roster. Dorsey is the right man for the job, and Chiefs fans have reason to be optimistic that things may start to turn around.

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Chiefs Officially Introduce Andy Reid As Head Coach

The Chiefs officially introduced Andy Reid as the team’s head coach this afternoon, ending a short search that brought the former Philadelphia coach to Kansas City within a matter of days. Now that the ink on Reid’s five year deal is dry, Chiefs fans can turn their attention to several burning matters that Reid must address.

For starters, Reid will have to decide who will be the team’s general manager, an integral piece of rebuilding the team’s roster. The Chiefs have the first overall pick in this year’s draft, and thus will have a pick at the start of each round in the draft as well. This provides the franchise with an excellent opportunity to instantly inject young talent into the roster, as the weak drafting by Scott Pioli was one of the leading causes to the downward spiral the team has been on over the past two seasons. Kansas City also needs to do a better job in free agency, as the team has badly whiffed on several signings while losing valuable veterans such as Brandon Carr.

While the GM is the first step to the puzzle, Reid also must decide how to assemble his new staff. The former Eagles coach was heavily criticized in Philadelphia for some extremely questionable hires at defensive coordinator, and the offensive-minded Reid will likely need to find an experienced coach he can trust to run the defense.

Finally, Reid must figure out what to do with the quarterback position. Reid has constantly had a good quarterback on his roster, whether it was Brett Favre while he was an assistant in Green Bay, or Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick during his tenure as head coach for Philadelphia. If the team does select a quarterback with its top overall pick, Reid and his staff will have to devout time and energy to helping the player develop. If the Chiefs decide to move in a different direction, Reid and his new GM will be forced to find a veteran who will provide a significant upgrade from Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. That shouldn’t be hard to do, as there are several good veteran quarterbacks looking for a starting shot this offseason.

Reid has a lot of work to do, and Chiefs fans should be excited that a new era has begun in Kansas City. The next several weeks will be interesting to watch.

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Chiefs Fire Scott Pioli

After four disappointing seasons, Scott Pioli has been fired from his position as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. The move comes with the expected news that the Chiefs will hire former Eagles head coach Andy Reid, and that Reid will be choosing a GM.

Pioli was a massive flop for the Chiefs, who thought they were getting a top-flight GM when they acquired him from the Patriots. In New England, Pioli was a five-time NFL Executive of the Year and served as the top front-office assistant to head coach and general manager Bill Belickick.

During Pioli’s tenure in Kansas City, the Chiefs compiled a 23-41 record. Both of his coaching hires – Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel – didn’t pan out, as Pioli famously feuded with Haley during the coach’s final season. Pioli’s style also frustrated coaches and players, as he was accused of bugging phones in team offices and other secretive behaviors.

It was Pioli’s personnel decisions that were the biggest red flag during his tenure in Kansas City. Pioli made several ill-fated moves, most notably trading a second-round pick to the New England for quarterback Matt Cassel and then signing him to a $63 million contract. Pioli also made several other puzzling moves – he traded Kansas City icon Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta for a second-round pick that he used on Javier Arenas and signed several veterans such as Stanford Rout that were disasters. Pioli also drafted extremely poorly, and as a result, the team found itself with paper-thin depth the past couple of seasons.

It was obvious that Pioli had to go, and the Chiefs should have cut ties with the GM much earlier. Kansas City needs to find someone who can build the team through the draft and create a roster with depth at every position. Hopefully, the GM that Reid brings in will be able to get things turned around.

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Chiefs Interview Andy Reid, Interested In Keith Armstrong

Yesterday, we compiled a list of possible coaching replacements for the Chiefs, and it appears that the team has begun to conduct interviews and move forward in the hiring process. Yesterday, the team interviewed former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

Reid was not included on our previous article because it was widely believed that he was taking the vacant head coaching position with the Arizona Cardinals. Reid is still scheduled to interview with Arizona, but meeting with the Chiefs first may signal that the two parties’ interest in one another is strong.

Reid, who is 55, was the Eagles head coach for 14 seasons. In that time, Philadelphia won six division championships and made five NFC title games. Reid also guided the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, where the team lost by a field goal to the New England Patriots. Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia ended on a sour note, however, as the team failed to live up to lofty expectations in 2011 and had an awful 2012.

Would Reid be a good fit in Kansas City? He is an offensive-minded coach who has developed several Pro Bowl quarterbacks, which may be exactly what the team needs at the moment. However, the way the Eagles massively underachieved over the past two seasons has to be a giant red flag, and Reid will not have the talent at his disposal that enjoyed in Philadelphia for most of his time there.

In other coaching news, Falcons’ offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has announced that he will be remaining with the Falcons. Koetter was rumored to be high on the Chiefs’ list. Kansas City apparently is interested in one of Koetter’s coworkers – Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong.

If the past couple of days are any indication, it looks like Clark Hunt is open to both former head coaches and top coordinators. It will be interesting to see which candidates the team brings in for an interview in the near future.

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