The Kansas City Chiefs will be going with a new starting QB in 2009 and it will be Matt Cassel.  Cassel relieved Tom Brady last season when he went down to injury and he led the Patriots to a 11-5 record.  Cassel hadn’t started a game since high school until last season and after he shook off the rust he was outstanding.  Despite not having the same kind of talent around him in K.C. that he had in New England, I look for him to have a very solid year in 2009.  He’s mobile and has enough arm to make all of the throws needed to succeed in the NFL.  Tyler Thigpen was forced into duty last season after the Chiefs lost their 1st and 2nd team QBs and he surprised the team so much that he will head into camp as the #2 QB.  Brodie Croyle was supposed to be the QB of the future heading into last season for the Chiefs but he’s more than likely the QB of the past.  He will have a lot of time playing the opposing QB in practice during the 2009 season.  Ingle Martin will be nothing more than a practice squad type of QB for the Chiefs in 2009.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B-

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed 27-year old center Eric Ghiaciuc.  Ghiaciuc played in 16 games (all starts) for the Bengals last season.  Ghiaciuc has now played in 48 games (42 starts) in his 4-year NFL career to date.  This was a good signing for the Chiefs as the 6′4″, 303 pound Ghiaciuc will battle for a starting job on O-Line in 2009.

The Chiefs selected DE Tyson Jackson with the #3 pick in the first round.  He will be a starter from Day #1 for the Chiefs but he’s a run stuffing end.  He is huge at 6′4″, 295 pounds but he’s fast for his size running a 4.9 40.  Jackson played in 53 games (40 starts) in his 4-year career at LSU and he made 122 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, 18.5 sacks, batted down 18 balls, forced 2 fumbles and recovered 2 fumbles.  While he might not get a ton of sacks, Jackson is a great run defender off the edge and that’s just what the doctor has ordered for the Chiefs’ defense.

The Chiefs have signed 26-year old TE Tony Curtis.  Curtis played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 8 passes for 32 yards.  In his two years in the NFL Curtis has played in 32 games in which he has caught 11 passes for 50 yards (4.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Chiefs who need help at TE now with Tony Gonzalez a Falcon.

The Chiefs have traded 33-year old TE Tony Gonzalez to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Gonzalez played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last season and he caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards (11.0 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He finished his career with the Chiefs playing in 190 games in which he caught 916 passes for 10,940 yards (11.9 avg) with 76 TD grabs.  Gonzalez had 1,000+ yards receiving 4 times in his career with the Chiefs and he had 10+ TD grabs three times.  It’s sad to see one of the best players in franchise history leaving the Chiefs but it will help them rebuild big time.