As of 5:30 yesterday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced that the Chiefs are willing to trade star wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.
“… If a team out there made a good offer for Bowe, he would be gone tomorrow” Adam Schefter told ESPN on Thursday. Schefter would also go on to add that “Like I said, outside of [Matt] Cassel and [Tyson] Jackson, there’s no Chief who can’t be had for the right price. New regimes like their own players; this is not something new to Haley and Scott Pioli. This is a universal truth.”
According to this report, the Chiefs are willing to move anyone outside of Cassel or Jackson, for the right price. Quite a bold statement by the new HC and GM for the Chiefs. Partially some were worried that Pioli and/or Haley were looking to just get more picks in an attempt to re-build and Bowe is being punished, but a further look into it shows that Bowe’s actually been rather injured lately. Bowe’s teammate Derrick Johnson has been said to have been taking some time off lately in practice due to injury(which I’ve just heard is officially ruling Johnson as “out” for sunday’s game against the Eagles)
I’ll be honest, I don’t know what Piolo or Haley expect to get from any team for Bowe. Bowe is widely considering a top 10 WR in the league, but his value is going to be a 1st+ (probably meaning 1st and 3rd round picks.) To a Chiefs fan, that looks like great value right? Unfortunately, that may not be the case. Remember this, Bowe was a 1st round pick(23rd overall) just 3 years ago. What if Bowe is traded for a 1st and (let’s say 3rd, in 2010) to a team like the Colts(who desperately need a WR to help out in the offense set they run.) The problem now is, Bowe is going to be traded to a team that is giving up practically the same value the Chiefs did in the first place, and really getting nothing more out of it. Had Bowe been a 3rd rounder, the 1st round pick with be a sure plus, but with him being a first, they aren’t getting great value in return.
So to take a closer look, imagine this. Chiefs do make the deal and get a 1st and 3rd from someone who has a late round pick. All they essentially do, is trade a proven, top WR, for an unproven rookie at an unknown position, who could end up being a bust. Let’s also not forget that the Chiefs WR set is not exactly deep with talent. If your WR depth chart reads “Bobby Wade #1, MArk Bradley #2, and Bobby Engram #3″… You might as well call it a season.
If anything, Bowe should be one of the 2 the Chiefs can not trade. Bowe is everything you want in a WR. He’s got the good game speed, his strength as an athlete and WR is phenomenial. He displays very soft hands, has a great vertical, and his route running is as good as your going to get. One thing he possesses that few WR’s do, is he is clutch. When it comes down to the wire, Bowe knows how to finish his routes, and make key plays (as many saw him do late in the 4th quarter sunday against the Raiders.)
Right now there is no official word of who’s offered for Bowe, or if he will get traded. All that is known right now is the Chiefs are more than happy to put his name out their for discussion and willing to take offers for the former 1st rounder.
For those interested, here’s a link to the story.
http://football.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/13794/20090923/chiefs_would_listen_to_offers_for_bowe
