As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to break camp in preparation for their second pre-season game against the Seattle Seahawks this Friday one thing is certain: There is no quarterback controversy brewing in within the Chiefs organization…yet.
Following a prodigious effort by third-year backup quarterback Chase Daniel during the Chiefs first pre-season game against the Arizona Cardinals this past Saturday, perhaps it’s time to dig a little deeper into the current state of Kansas City’s current quarterback situation.
Alex Smith is entering his third year as the starting quarterback in Kansas City and received a massive
Smith is what he is at this point. He is merely a hall monitor of the Chiefs offense. A lifeguard who won’t let you drown under his watch, but he is never going to be a dynamic passer that wins games for his team. Smith threw for an NFL worst 5.5 yards per pass attempt last season and hasn’t thrown a touchdown to a wide receiver since Robin Thicke was still a viable musical artist in America.
The Chiefs roster is built to win at a high level in 2015 especially after adding play-making receiver Jeremy Maclin to an arsenal that already includes Travis Kelce, Jamaal Charles, and DeAnthony Thomas, but can they go deep in the playoffs with “captain check down” Alex Smith at the helm?
Despite a small sample size of NFL experience, Chase Daniel does appear to possess the intelligence, wherewithal, and throwing ability to start somewhere in this league. Sure you can dismiss his performance this past Saturday against Arizona (189 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) as a meaningless pre-season game, but if you look at the film you will see a keen sense of pocket awareness, ability to step up in the pocket and deliver strikes under pressure and an undaunting leadership ability that is sorely missing from the starting position currently.
At 28 years old, Daniel is one of the highest paid backups in the league and is in the final season of a three year deal. He has started two games as a member of the Chiefs and nearly led the team to a victory over the playoff-minded Chargers in 2013 as he threw for 257 yards in a game where Kansas City rested most of its starters. Then in 2014, Daniel replaced an injured Alex Smith and led the team to a victory (once again over San Diego) in a game the Chargers desperately needed to return to the playoffs.
Daniel is a student of the game in the purest sense of the phrase and has been successful at every level he has played at thus far. He was a two-time Texas 5A State Champion and went on to lead the Missouri Tigers to unimaginable heights and propelled them to consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in school history. After college, Daniel went undrafted in 2009 and fought his way onto the Saints roster where he would receive invaluable tutelage from star Drew Brees for four years.
There are plenty of NFL teams out there that are in dire need of a quarterback and it would not be surprising to see someone like the Jets, Texans or Bills to try to acquire Daniel before the regular season begins. At 6’0, it has always been Daniel’s size that turned off NFL scouts, but he has slowly proven that his work ethic and instincts override his lack of height.
Do the Chiefs have a potential diamond sitting right on their bench? It may be time to start having that discussion as Daniel enters the final year of his contract and with other teams being potentially interested in his services. Alex Smith’s take-no-chances approach is great for staving off pesky turnovers but there is no question that Andy Reid wants his teams to excel in the vertical passing game. Smith may be in the midst of playing out a bloated contract (he will make almost $16 million this year alone) but this team needs a leader at the quarterback position that is going to be able to maximize the various weapons that the Chiefs have in their arsenal.
Daniel threw three times as many touchdown passes to wide receives in a single pre-season game as Alex 
Smith threw during the entire 2014 NFL season. In fact, had Dwayne Bowe not comically fumbled a football thrown by Daniel into the end zone during the season finale last year, he would have finished ahead of Smith 1-0 in 2014 as well, which is unfathomable given the fact that Smith is a former #1 overall draft pick and makes more than five times as much money as does Daniel.
Since drafting and developing a quarterback is not something the Chiefs have been interested in for 30-plus years now, perhaps now is the time to think outside the box on the position. Smith provides built-in job security for Reid and GM John Dorsey as his average play will rarely yield disastrous results. It is still unknown what former 5th round pick Aaron Murray can do at this level, although it is unlikely that he will ever develop into a starter. The team will likely put former Tennessee star Tyler Bray on IR or waive him all together after sustaining a knee injury.
The Chiefs clearly believe in Daniel as a steady hand in case of an injury to Smith, but as the evidence continues to mount, it’s time to discuss the real possibility that it could time to put the ball in Daniel’s hands before the team gets caught in another Rich Gannon/Elvis Grbac type situation.
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