Kansas City Chiefs Rumors: Should Chiefs Sign NFL Free Agents Wes Welker, Reggie Wayne?
We're just weeks away from the 2015 NFL preseason. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to deliver their third consecutive season with a winning record in the Andy Reid era, and their first playoff win since the 1993-94 season. That's when Joe Montana was the starting quarterback, which Chiefs fans are fully aware of.
The Chiefs have a good squad once again this year. They made the wise move to franchise tag Justin Houston this offseason. Bringing in former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin should also pay off, especially considering Dwyane Bowe is now with the Cleveland Browns.
But, the Chiefs still have free agent options to help boost their wide receiver core.
Wes Welker is currently an unrestricted free agent. It appears as if no general manager in the league wants to touch Welker at the moment because of his past with head injuries and player lawsuits, but this could be worth a chance. Welker is arguably the best slot receiver in NFL history having made a career out of dinks and dunks from under 10 yards. Welker has caught 100 balls and received 1,000 yards in a season five times in his career.
What makes this such a good fit for the Chiefs is low cost and Alex Smith. At this point in his career, Welker's stock has never been lower. If the Chiefs did sign Welker, they could simply cut him before the regular season begins without much of any salary cap hit whatsoever. Many NFL experts believe Welker would be a good fit with the Chiefs because of his playing style. Smith is not a deep ball-passing quarterback. However, Smith is very effective at short range throws, similar to a Troy Aikman type of quarterback.
Smith could thrive with Welker as his receiving security blanket. There's no doubt Jamaal Charles is one of, if not the most, elusive backs in the league, but the Chiefs can't depend on him to do everything.
Last season the Chiefs ranked 29th in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns. Since Peyton Manning came to the Denver Broncos, they have owned the AFC West, especially the Chiefs. The Manning-led Broncos are 6-0 against the Chiefs. It's time for the Chiefs to take some risks in free agency.
Another talented receiver who is still a free agent is Reggie Wayne. Wayne is one of the best wide receivers of the 21st century having played his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts, but he too is unsigned.
Wayne may be past his prime, but he's still a quality player and a great veteran leader who the Chiefs could use. Even last season Wayne had 779 receiving yards and 64 catches. To put that into statistical perspective, Wayne had more yards, touchdowns and catches than any other Chiefs wide receiver last season. They could absolutely use him.
Not a single Chiefs wide receiver caught a touchdown pass last season.
Maclin, now in his prime, will provide a reliable deep threat and be a "go to guy" for Smith, and the Chiefs have good tight end depth. Wayne could be a good target for spreading the field and catching 20 yard out routes. Wayne is one of the best route runners of all-time. Wayne caught passes from Manning for 10 seasons while with the Colts. Maybe he remembers a thing or two about his old quarterback that the Chiefs could find useful.
The Chiefs have a solid team, but they play in a division with one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. In order to finally dethrone him, the Chiefs may want to bring in some more free agent talent.
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