Reports have floated around that the Kansas City Chiefs have a roster exemption for Dwayne Bowe until Monday, December 21st. This means that Bowe can practice with the team, like he is now, as the 54th player on the roster. The Chiefs will not have to make a roster move until Monday.
They can make a move earlier and reinstate Bowe, which many of us expect to happen.
We all expect Bowe to play on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. There's no doubt about that. With only three games left in the season, and the Chiefs receivers still trying to familiarize themselves with Matt Cassel, I think it's very important that he suits up and plays on Sunday.
Cassel said Bowe's return is "huge" and it "will be great to have him back on the field." Of course, he declined to say whether he would actually be on the field this weekend.
"You know, I don’t know," Cassel said today when asked about Bowe's availability. "That’s probably coach’s decision right now. I think he’s still trying to get caught up to speed, we’re doing a lot of different things now from when he left, so it’ll just kind of be up to the coaches to see how far he progresses throughout the week."
Head coach Todd Haley was also asked if Bowe would be on the field Sunday.
"He made it through yesterday and I think he’s done a good job of keeping himself in shape while he was away. Just as important he’s picking up a handful of new stuff that we’ve evolved into since the suspension. I’m encouraged by where he’s at after two days."
Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com argues that the Chiefs "likely aren't trying to keep Bowe's status as a starter a secret."
I would disagree with this assertion because there's no reason for the Chiefs to give any information out on him. This regime has demonstrated on multiple occasions that if there's even the slightest competitive advantage to be gained from keeping something a secret, then they'll do it.
Learning the playbook is important, yes. But I can't imagine that much has changed that would preclude him from playing on Sunday, or even starting. If Chris Chambers can come in on a Wednesday, with no prior knowledge of the playbook, and play on a Sunday, then Bowe should be out there. Just my two cents.