The word is out that the Kansas City Chiefs are among the players for Chad Henne, former starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Also listed are the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. While a new player acquisition is usually an exciting thing for any team, it would only represent a step in the wrong direction for Scott Pioli and the Chiefs.
Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs brass made it clear that they were going to bring in someone to compete with Matt Cassel for the starting spot as the Chiefs’ quarterback. Cassel has had middling results so far and last season was particularly bad and ended with an injury over the final seven games. The offensive boost seen with Kyle Orton at the helm over the final three games confirmed for everyone what they already knew — that Cassel needed someone to push or even supplant him.
Chad Henne, however, is not the answer. While the Chiefs have been publicly linked to Peyton Manning and they interviewed Robert Griffin III among others at the Combine, the Chiefs bringing in yet another mediocre quarterback in hopes that one suddenly finds the ability to lead an NFL team to greatness. In this instance, in other words, one plus one does not equal two. It just equals one again — as in “you need one more quarterback.”
The Chiefs have done a great job building up the roster since Pioli took over, adding impact players in the secondary and at the skill positions. Quarterback has to be the next place to receive some sort of boost that moves beyond efficiency and into the realm of game-changing ability. Will that cost? Yes. Has any team regretted that cost in the past? Likely not.
Next year is going to be Henne’s fifth year in the NFL. In that time, he’s thrown for 31 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He’s had a chance to show what he can do, and while he hasn’t always had the greatest offensive potential around him in Miami, he has had enough weapons to work with to do something with it. Even Matt Moore looked decent as the season went on last year.
In short, the Chiefs should not be players in the market for Henne under any circumstance. Taking a mid-round rookie and throwing him to the wolves in training camp would be better than bringing in a veteran with a ceiling that’s already known. Henne could be a fine back-up for a team in need of one, but the Chiefs are talking about starting caliber competition. That is exactly what Chad Henne is not.