Kansas City Chiefs 2015 Team Needs: Some issues the same

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (82) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker

(50) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

3. WR

De’Anthony Thomas shattered my expectations as a rookie, and the play that underscores his quick improvement as a receiver was a 30-yard catch in the season finale against the Chargers. Thomas did an excellent job of gaining separation on the fade route (but that’s easy given his elite speed), and his ability to adjust to the throw by dipping a bit to make the catch showed both impressive awareness and ball skills.

That said, DAT isn’t more than a complementary piece in this offense, and while there’s plenty of reason to believe he could be an excellent complementary piece, he’s just a No. 3 guy. De facto No. 1 receiver Dwayne Bowe is one of the more solid possession receivers around, and he averaged 7.9 yards per target this past season. Albert Wilson quietly showed some nice playmaking ability as the No. 4 guy, but I think the Chiefs should go for a true No. 1 receiver. Travis Kelce is their No. 1 weapon and Charles is an impressive pass-catching RB, but the Chiefs need a better “X” receiver to open up their offense.

Although each member of the Chiefs passing attack contributed positively in some fashion, they still averaged just 5.9 net yards per attempt, which was in the bottom-half of the league. Their TD:INT ratio was exceptional, and that’s a testament to the conservative nature of the offense, the excellent running game, and the consistently solid play from Alex Smith. But the Chiefs had just one wide receiver with more than 16 receptions, and he, Bowe, had only 60. Kelce is the No. 1 option on this team right now, but the Chiefs should strongly consider adding at least another WR2-caliber option to their passing attack.

Next: Smith a shutdown CB but more help needed