If the Kansas City Chiefs front office was going to be mixed about what to do with the quarterback position next off-season, one thing that the injury to Matt Cassel might do is clarify that vision. With the news that his hand injury will keep him out for the bulk of the season that’s left (if not all), the Chiefs are certainly not expected to win many more of their games — especially against a schedule that includes the Patriots, Packers, Steelers, Bears and Jets coming up. If that’s the case, the Chiefs will be choosing among the top teams in the 2012 NFL Draft next April.
If the Chiefs do have a top pick, they’ll have a major selection to make about what to do at quarterback and might have their choice of several candidates, including USC’s Matt Barkley, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones or Baylor’s Robert Griffin III among others. If the Chiefs have to make a major move at quarterback, that’s not a bad spot to be in.
Of course, that’s only the positive spin being placed over a very bleak situation. The bottom line is that Matt Cassel can be a good quarterback in the NFL — as illustrated by his very efficient Pro Bowl season in 2010. The front office might be willing to go at it again next season with Cassel coming back from injury just like so many others (Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki, Eric Berry). The other part of this is that it forces the team to take a 7 game look at both Tyler Palko and Ricky Stanzi to see what they have in house. If they like what they see, then that saves them from any off-season drama whatsoever.
The reality for the Chiefs at this point is that they will know top to bottom what they have in terms of NFL quarterbacks and any potential they might hold going forward. It’s a forced position no one wants to be in, but the Chiefs must adjust and do what they can to figure out the QB puzzle in front of them.