Pro Football Talk lays out the numbers on Dwayne Bowe's contract and how the Kansas City Chiefs could save $10 million in guaranteed money due to Bowe by releasing him. They connect the dots to the Cleveland Browns, whose front office includes a couple of guys who were in Kansas City when Bowe was drafted.
Bowe's contract is not a great one for the Chiefs. We're one year into a 5-year, $56 million deal. I see the logic in trying to escape it when they can. With Alex Smith and Justin Houston needing new contracts, tough decisions will have to be made.
The problem is that cutting Bowe makes the Chiefs worse in 2014, a year where they're trying to make it back to the playoffs. This might be different if this happened in February when the Chiefs had a full offseason to prepare. The Chiefs first team has run few plays under Andy Reid which don't include Bowe. A position group already called a weakness, the Chiefs receivers would be very young and very inexperienced (some might say "bad" here). Donnie Avery would be the No. 1 receiver. You're a play away from undrafted receivers playing prominent roles in the Chiefs offense. That would be a shock to the Chiefs passing game.
An unnecessary shock. The Chiefs can extend Alex Smith's contract with their current cap space. True, the cap space gained by cutting Bowe could push more money into the pot for Houston. But the Chiefs will have the franchise tag in their back pocket if it doesn't get done. More money will come off the books next year.
It was just yesterday that Andy Reid was seemingly sticking up for his No. 1 receiver. With reports that Bowe was struggling at camp, Reid took a question about Eric Berry and managed to mention that Bowe was dealing with a finger injury, which is why he wasn't catching the ball well. That doesn't sound like someone who is about to cut a player.