As the Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2015 off-season, they enter as a yardstick for the average to slightly above average. With the right timely moves Chief’s general manager John Dorsey could push this team beyond their previous underachieving ways and watch as a championship mentality begins to build upon itself to grow. With a bad contract or two plus a free agent miss/draft bust in the upper few rounds and the rails could come off, as mediocrity once more becomes the norm.

That being said, I have started the process of detailing the possibilities for the 2015 offseason and what moves I see as probable in KC’s future. This series will be broke into segments, which will all have links at the beginning to the other articles in the series. I’ll be covering, in this order, re-signings, potential cap casualties and other cuts, possible trades to look into, unrestricted free agents the Chiefs should consider, and it’ll all wrap up with a few prospects from the upcoming draft that could be wearing red and gold in 2015.

Kansas City’s Offseason Blueprint series:

Impending free agents

Cuts to ponder

Trades to consider

Free agency preview

Draft prospects to know

Trades to consider:

(Disclaimer: NFL trades are rare things, but with a lot of big names changing places this offseason it could usher a few players to new homes. Listed below are a few players I feel fit the profile of what Kansas City is looking to do and would fit financially as well or with an easy restructure. These are a few names I would keep my eye on)

WR Kendall Wright:

The 5”10 Baylor product seemed to be misused or unable to be utilized in Ken Whisenhunt’s first year in Tennessee. Wright hasn’t been a disappointment necessarily, so much as being held back by the system and surrounding talent. Injecting the speedy former Baylor Bear into a west coast offense like Kansas City’s, where his abilities after the catch could be showcased, would be a savvy and beneficial move before draft day for both franchises looking for change in their respective wide receiver groups. Alex Smith isn’t one to take chances or force the ball deep, a perfect match for Wright who can visibly separate from defenders to give Smith faith to attempt more deep shots down the field. Wright’s rookie year he caught 64 passes for 626 yards and 4 touchdowns. He followed up with a ’13 campaign that showed major progress: 94 receptions for 1079 yards and 2 touchdowns. His arrow seemed to be pointing up even with a brand new coaching staff, yet in Whisenhunt’s first year in town he only managed 57 catches for 715 yards and 6 touchdowns. If Tennessee unloaded Wright (or his 2^nd year teammate, Justin Hunter) it would free them to potentially grab Kevin White in the draft to become Whiz’s new Larry Fitzgerald and a much better fit schematically.

ILB Arthur Brown:

After being the Baltimore Raven’s 2^nd round pick in 2013 it has been a difficult process for Arthur Brown to see the field. Baltimore didn’t exactly give a huge vote of confidence in Brown after they spent their 2014 1^st round pick on rookie ILB C.J. Mosley and extended incumbent starter Daryl Smith’s contract. In college at Kansas State Arthur Brown was quick off the ball and showed the athleticism to cover tight ends. The 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year recipient, Brown most likely wouldn’t cost much to attain after playing in only 4 games with no tackles and could add some good sideline-to-sideline speed next to starting ILB Derrick Johnson. Fun fact: Arthur Brown’s brother, RB Bryce Brown, was drafted by head coach Andy Reid in 2012 in his final year with Philadelphia.

WR Tavon Austin:

Tavon Austin might become expendable after following up his disappointing rookie season of 40 catches for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns with a measly 2014 campaign resulting in 31 receptions for 242 yards and no touchdowns. The Rams have already given up on former OC Brian Schottenheimer, whose offense lacked the creativity to utilize Austin correctly, which could lead to a player like Tavon becoming available for the right price. St. Louis has already been rumored to be interested in a WR early in the draft, possibly Alabama’s Amari Cooper or Louiseville product DeVante Parker at the 10^th overall pick. Austin would immediately provide Kansas City with another spark plug to exploit match-ups beside De’Anthony Thomas and Albert Wilson.

WR Mike Wallace:

The reasons for Wallace’s potential trade/release aren’t the type of red flags to scoff at (Are there any to scoff at?). Supposedly quitting on your team, being a bad locker room presence, and to top it all off a rumored unwillingness to be flexible with a very bloated contract are all very alarming if true. The only reason I would consider Mike Wallace in red & gold is the possibility that his issues were overblown and over reported through on-purpose inside ‘leaks’ from Miami publicly for contract reasons. The NFL is a cut-throat world and teams will say anything to anyone to anyone to gain an upper hand, so due diligence is warranted. Wallace, 29, still has plenty of gas left in the tank as a vertical threat –and a change of scenery could be a good think for the seemingly unhappy receiver. All of this is also hinging on Wallace signing a new deal that accurately represents his value and production, something his current contract doesn’t even near and is a laughing point for certain other owners. The days of pretending Mike Wallace is a number one option in an offense are simply gone. This is the least likely trade target of John Dorsey’s on this list, but in the NFL you just never know.

OG Jonathan Cooper:

Possibly sending tackle Donald Stephenson and a 2^nd-4^th round conditional pick could pry the former 7^th overall guard from the Arizona Cardinals, where injuries and timing held him from seeing the field as a productive player early in Cooper’s career. Is this enough for them to jettison him for whatever value they can receive at this point? Cooper has only started 10 games in the pro’s entering his 3^rd year in the league. This could be a good opportunity for both teams to roll the dice on much needed and once highly-touted offensive lineman who have for various reasons both missed opportunities and shown flashes as well. This would be very similar to the Jonathon Baldwin for A.J. Jenkins trade, turning over every avenue and hoping a new environment can kick-start a player’s growth and development. Cooper, still being on his rookie contract, would still be manageable salary cap-wise and plug and play at a position of dire need for Kansas City’s future success.