KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The biggest question facing Chiefs coach Andy Reid these days is a mathematical one: Can the number of snaps at his disposal in practice and games equal the number of players who want them?
There are far worse questions to have.
The Chiefs chose Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan in the fifth round of this year’s draft, following their trend of taking a developmental flier with a late selection. Now, the Chiefs have starter Alex Smith and backups Hogan, Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray all fighting for playing time.
Smith will get his snaps, of course. But the youngsters behind him are in a competitive race to be the full-time backup after the Chiefs let veteran Chase Daniel sign with Philadelphia in free agency.
Hogan has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and was uber-successful with the Cardinal, going 36-10 as the starting quarterback. But he faces a steep learning curve in Reid’s complex offense.
“Having experience with the pro-style, West Coast offense, a lot of the concepts and progressions were the same,” Hogan said. “Even though the terminology and whatnot might be different, I’m excited to come in and I think it will be a smooth transition. It’s not going to be easy. It’s just going to take work.”
That’s something Bray and Murray have been putting in for a while.
Bray has been held back by injuries since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee a few years ago, but the Chiefs remain intrigued by his strong arm and 6-6 frame. Murray was a fifth-round pick out of Georgia two years ago who may be the most polished of the three backups.
“I think we’ll be OK there,” Reid said, when asked whether everyone will get sufficient work. “One nice thing is they all have a good head on their shoulders. They’re smart guys. I think we’ll be OK there.”
Quarterback isn’t the only place where there is a logjam.
The Chiefs will get star running back Jamaal Charles back from his torn ACL at some point this summer, though he may not do much work until training camp. They also re-signed Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, the thunder-and-lightning duo that carried the load with Charles was out, and still have running back Knile Davis – himself a former third-round pick – trying to work into the mix.
There has been speculation that the Chiefs will trade or release Davis, especially given their cash-strapped salary cap situation, but for the time being he is still on the roster.
“I’m just excited they could sign West and Ware and still have Knile here. That’s something blessed to be a part of,” Charles said. “I don’t think any other team in the NFL has a running back group like that. If either one of us goes down, we know one of the guys … is very fortunate coming in and stepping up.”
The Chiefs wrapped up their three-day rookie minicamp Monday, where all nine of their draft picks and numerous undrafted players got a chance to prove they deserve a look later this summer.
They will reconvene with most of the veterans for voluntary workouts beginning May 24, and the Chiefs will hold their mandatory minicamp in mid-June before taking a break ahead of training camp.
“I’m just looking forward to coming in and learning from those guys,” Hogan said. “Going to contribute in the quarterback room and learn as much as I can. I’m going to soak it all in like a sponge.”
