The Chiefs drafted Dexter McCluster in the second round and quickly announced him as a wide receiver. The prevailing thought was that he would become the slot receiver and complement No. 1 and No. 2 -- Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers.
Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com has a list of things to watch for at OTAs next week and talks about the role of the receivers. One interesting passage was how Jerheme Urban would fit in.
Urban was signed before the draft (from the Cardinals) to fulfill the third receiver role. With McCluster in the fold, where does that leave each of their roles?
"McCluster and Urban are very different players, who could both conceivably man the third wide receiver position as game situations dictate," Looney writes. "Kansas City was missing a true possession receiver last year and that’s one of the reasons you’d have to believe Urban was targeted this off-season. I’d go as far as saying that it’s risky to pigeon hole Urban into any reserve role at this time. It’s time to sit back and see what position (or positions) this guy runs after."
Interesting. The Chiefs aren't big on the mentality of 'You're a starter because you were drafted high' but it's hard not to see McCluster above Urban at this point.
Then again, McCluster may not be lining up as a receiver every play. If he, say, lines up as a running back, I suppose a third receiver (Urban) could still be on the field.
This will be one of the more interesting situations to monitor as we head into camp.