Tight End Dilemma

With rising star Tony Moeaki gone for the season, the Chiefs tight end situation just went from that of excited certainty to an anxious mystery.

If you've ever read this blog before, you know I was a huge fan of Moeaki. I was a little anxious when we drafted him in 2010 because of his previous injury history (and because Aaron Hernandez was still on the board), but Moeaki soon wiped away all uncertainty when his ability to run routes and catch the football. In just his rookie season, he was second on the team in targets (72), catches (47), receiving yards (556) and receiving touchdowns (3). Obviously Moeaki was a very important part of the offense last year, and all indications had him being an even bigger part of the offensive scheme this season.

Peter King from Sports Illustrated had this to say after visiting the Chiefs camp this offseason.  "The player I was most impressed with: Tight end Tony Moeaki. I'll be writing more about him in the coming days, but what interested me is the Chiefs' aggressive use of him in passing formations -- as a slot receiver, a blocker tight to the formation, and set out wide. He's their Dallas Clark."

That is high praise, but unfortunately we'll have to wait till 2012 to see just what could have been. And now that Moeaki is no longer a part of the Chiefs hopeful 2011 campaign, the question arises of who can possibly take his place. With so much emphasis being put on Moeaki in this offense, can the Chiefs afford to abandon this plan or do they think they have the talent on the team to fill in for this injury setback?

On the Chiefs depth chart, there are two tight ends listed. Those are Leonard Pope and Jake O'Connell. Both were on the team in 2009, the year before Moeaki was drafted. For that season, Pope was targeted 31 times, had 20 receptions for 174 yards and 1 touchdown. O'Connell, a rookie that season, was targeted 10 times for 2 receptions, 7 yards, and no touchdowns. We had two other tight ends that season, Brad Cottam and Sean Ryan, who had 15 targets, 9 catches, 120 yards, no touchdowns and 27 targets, 14 catches, 135 yards, 2 touchdowns respectively.

In case you were curious, that's 83 targets, 45 catches, 436 yards and 3 touchdowns combined between these four different players. Doesn't exactly scream offensive juggernaut does it?

So, should the Chiefs trust Pope and O'Connell, two tight ends known more for their blocking prowess than their ability to catch, to make great offensive strides this season and fill in for Tony Moeaki, who is pretty good at catching the football?

I wouldn't count on it.

So what are the Chiefs options?

1. Just live with the depth we have at tight end. Pope and O'Connell aren't horrible. When filling in for Moeaki after a concussion suffered in Denver, O'Connell had 2 catches for 24 yards against Arizona. As Matt Cassel told the Kansas City Star: "Obviously, we’re going to miss Tony .... We’re going to have to move forward with somebody else. Whether that means us messing around with some different personnel groups or (having) one of these younger guys step up and filling that role, like Jake O’Connell did last year against Arizona, we’ll have to close ranks and move forward.” If Bill Muir wants to use these guys in the same capacity that he was planning on using Tony Moeaki, I can't promise that it will be very successful, but it is an option. Cassel has two years of familiarity with both Pope and O'Connell, so if he feels like these guys can be playmakers, he'll put the ball in their hands.
   
2. Bring in another tight end. Cuts have taken place all around the league, taking teams down to a 53 man roster. There are plenty of cut tight ends looking for jobs, even some the Chiefs cut after the preseason. Charlie Gantt  and Cody Slate were on the Chiefs roster until the final cuts were made, and neither made it onto the Chiefs practice squad. Anthony Becht, a former first round pick, who was added mid-preseason, was also released from the team. These players combined for 6 catches for 86 yards and one touchdown (most coming from Slate). Neither of these players have found new homes yet and all should be pretty familiar with the Chiefs offense after being in camp. The Chiefs did add tight end Kyle Nelson this past week to the practice squad, but that seems to be of little consequence (he's listed as a long snapper on ESPN). And let's not forget that Brad Cottam is still available. As much trash as I've talked on Cottam over the past year, he did practice with Cassel during the lockout and does know the system. If he re-joined the team, he has the ability to be the best possession tight end on the team (Lord help us). 
3. Abandon the tight end position in our passing offense. This might just be the simplest thing to do. Despite having a Pro Bowl quarterback, a Pro Bowl wide receiver, drafting a wide receiver in the 1st round, and adding another wide receiver in free agency, we are a run-first offense. So blocking tight ends are perfect for what we want to to, and that is open up running lanes and sustain blocks for Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. If we need to convert a third down through passing, we have options other than tight ends. And even if we need to use a tight end, I trust Pope and O'Connell enough to throw it to them a couple of times a game. Although it would be very nice to have Moeaki in our offense, we shouldn't deem our season a loss because of his loss. As long as we got Charles, we still have a good offense.

So, with these options, what do you think the Chiefs will do?