The Kansas City Chiefs have fallen on hard times over the past few years, but after hiring Andy Reid and new regime of executives, the franchise appears to be heading in the right direction and could pull off a move for Tim Tebow to make a clean break from former coach Romeo Crennel.
According to ESPN.com, the Chiefs have made a number of veteran cuts to the roster, releasing wide receiver Steve Breaston and tight end Kevin Boss. Reid and new general manager John Dorsey are starting to overhaul the roster before the March cap deadline and could pull off a trade for Tebow if the price is right.
The team announced the moves about Breaston and Boss on their official website. The wide receiver originally came to Kansas City in 2011 and signed a five-year, $22.5 million deal from former head coach Todd Haley and executive Scott Pioli, both of whom are gone from the team now.
Breaston was a solid addition at first, but last season he was on the outs with head coach Romeo Crennel and only made seven catches for 74 yards in 10 games played. Boss signed a three-year, $9 million deal in the offseason, but had only three catches for 65 yards before dealing with a season-ending concussion injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
Kansas City saved itself a nice amount of money by making the cuts and now has some flexibility heading inot the NFL draft and the free agency period. The team still needs to sign wideout Dwayne Bowe and now that they have saved the money, there is a good chance they can do so.
Reid also could pull off a surprise move and trade for Tim Tebow, as it is likely that Reid will want to move on from Matt Cassel, who has been a huge disappointment since signing a big contract with the Chiefs after coming over in a trade from the Patriots. Cassel was a Pioli guy, as the executive used to be with the New England Patriots and Reid could decide to break ties with all the players that were brought in from the previous regime.
Brady Quinn was solid, but he is not the future for the Chiefs at quarterback. The team has the number one overall pick and they could use it on a player like Matt Barkley, Geno Smith or Matt Glennon, but non of those quarterbacks appear to be a sure thing like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin were last year. Ryan Nassib from Syracue could also be an option, but the Tebow deal is very intriguing, as it is likely that he could thrive under Reid's system.
Tebow showed what he could do when the offense was geared around him in Denver, as he took the team to the playoffs and had a thrilling overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tebow was underused in New York this season and the Jets will be looking to trade him and now that the Chiefs have made those cuts, they could have room to put him on the roster.
Tebow gained only 102 rushing yards and was on the field for just over 70 plays, but he was a good soldier for most of the year and completed six of the eight passing attempts he was asked to throw. There is a chance Tebow could change positions as well and he could add a new dynamic to the offense as a tight end or a fullback with the Chiefs.
While it is unlikely that Reid will make the deal, many felt there was no way the Eagles would ever bring in Michael Vick after his dig fighting scandal, but Reid put his reputation on the line then and could do it again now that he is in Kansas City.
The Chiefs went just 2-14 last season and ranked last in the league in passing with 169 yards per game. The team ended the year with a 38-3 blowout loss to the Denver Broncos.