Warpaint Roundtable – Offseason Edition VIII

This week we talk safeties, wide receivers and offensive linemen.

Why not keep Greg Wesley and let him start or spell Pollard with Morgan spelling Page?

Nick Athan: Last offseason, the Chiefs had a deal with the Denver Broncos for Wesley that would have garnered a fourth round pick in this year’s draft. Instead, Wesley was kept around for a veteran presence. It didn't work and now the bottom line is that Wesley has no desire to be in Kansas City.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are high on Morgan after extensively scouting him the last two years. He has plenty of game and two scouts I spoke with were surprised he didn't get drafted in the second round.

Michael Ash: The Chiefs haven’t traded Wesley, so keeping him around to spell the young safeties seems to be exactly what they have in mind. But letting him start? This team is rebuilding. Wesley is 30 years old. I know Bernard Pollard wasn’t great in his first season as a starter, but doesn’t he deserve a little more time? If the Chiefs start looking to stick in a veteran every time a young player struggles, these next couple seasons are going to be rough.

C.E. Wendler: If the Chiefs are truly committed to going young, Wesley has no place on the roster, especially given his attitude. As Nick said, he wants out. There’s plenty of backup experience with John McGraw currently on the roster – and he won’t raise a fuss about his role on the team.

I'll say this much - Wesley is getting a raw deal (probably explains why he wants out). It's too bad the Chiefs are going young, because he hit receivers and running backs harder last year than he had in quite some time.


What will our receivers look like for week one? Who will start alongside Bowe?

Nick Athan: My opinion is that the Chiefs will keep only five receivers. Dwayne Bowe will start and either Will Franklin, Jeff Webb or Devard Darling will be the other starter. Last year’s HBO wunderkind, Bobby Sippio, will get a chance to be the fifth guy but I think that'll go to sixth-round draft pick Kevin Robinson. With that said, someone has to step up opposite Bowe. Webb has one more shot to prove he's worthy of more playing time. We have no idea what Darling can do.

Michael Ash: Devard Darling may have the inside track at the moment, but who’s to say Will Franklin won’t come in and impress everyone right off the bat? This is a question that probably won’t be answered until training camp. I think Franklin and Darling are the most likely to start opposite Bowe, unless Jeff Webb has taken some seriously large strides this offseason.

C.E. Wendler: The smart money is on Darling or Webb to start – it’d be asking an awful lot of a fourth-round pick (Franklin) to come in and start his rookie season, especially considering the spread offense he played in at Missouri. I know a lot of Chiefs fans like Bobby Sippio for some reason, but he’s still a Hard Knocks fabrication to me. Last season he played significant snaps in the second half of the season but didn’t even get a single pass thrown his way. Why not?


With Barry Richardson being a road grader, is there a possibility he starts at right tackle, sliding McIntosh inside to right guard?

Nick Athan: The day Richardson was drafted I felt he could start at right tackle on opening day. I'm not going to back off on that prediction at the moment, but if some of the reports about him are true - that he needs to be motivated - it could be a slow climb to right tackle from the bench.

I do think the Chiefs will move Damion McIntosh to right guard. That's what I keep hearing and I think that's the best place for him, especially when you consider he was the team’s best offensive lineman a year ago.

Michael Ash: There’s a possibility of Richardson starting, but much like the previous question, a lot will depend on training camp. The notion of McIntosh at right guard bothers me, however, and I’m not sure why that idea has taken on the life that it has. Run blocking just didn’t seem to be his strength last year. I know the Chiefs plan to use Richardson at tackle, but if it came down to it, I think I’d rather see him at right guard than McIntosh.

C.E. Wendler: I’m fed up with all the talk of McIntosh moving to right guard (multiple media sources have reported it this offseason). He’s just not a physical enough player to start inside. It didn’t work in Miami, it won’t work here. Considering Mac’s injury history, letting him butt heads with big, nasty defensive tackles for 60 plays probably isn’t a great idea, either.

I absolutely love Richardson’s game (I share Chan Gailey’s love of mammoth linemen who dominate in the running game), but won't count on a sixth-rounder to start anywhere this early in the offseason.