The Chiefs have waived 25-year old RB Kolby Smith.  Smith played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Chiefs last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 33 yards (2.2 ypc) while also catching 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg).  In his three years with the Chiefs, Smith played in 27 games (9 starts) in which he carried the ball 162 times for 540 yards (3.3 ypc) with 3 TD carries.  He also caught 34 passes for 209 yards (6.1 avg) for the Chiefs.  Smith wasn’t going to get much P.T. behind Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in 2010 so this was essentially a favor done for him as he was quickly claimed off waivers by the AFC West divison rival Denver Broncos.

The Chiefs are going with the same cast at QB in 2010 but one difference is that they will be working under a new offensive co-ordinator in Charlie Weis.  28-year old Matt Cassel played with the Patriots for a while so Weis might be able to bring out the best in him.  Cassel played in 15 games for the Patriots last year and he completed 271 of 493 passes (55%) for 2,924 yards with 16 TD passes and 16 INTs (69.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 50 times for 189 yards (3.8 ypc) last year.  Cassel has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has completed 620 of 1,048 passes (59.2%) for 6,870 yards with 39 TD passes and 29 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 135 times for 487 yards (3.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  Cassel has compiled a 14-16 record (.467) as a starting QB in the NFL.

27-year old Brodie Croyle will back up Cassel again this season for the Chiefs.  He played in 3 games for the Chiefs last year and he completed 23 of 40 passes (57.5%) for 230 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (90.6 QB Rating).  Croyle has now played in 16 games in his career with the Chiefs and he has completed 173 of 300 passes (57.7%) for 1,631 yards with 8 TD passes and 8 INTs (70.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 15 yards (1.5 ypc) in his career.  The Chiefs hope that Weis can coach Croyle up as he has a 0-9 record as a started for them.

26-year old Matt Gutierrez will likely be the #3 QB in 2010.  He played in 1 game for the Chiefs last season and he completed his only pass attempt for 3 yards last season.  He has now played in 2 games in his NFL career in which he has completed both of his pass attempts for 18 yards.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for -13 (-2.6 ypc) in his career.  Gutierrez will have to hold off Tyler Palko and Ingle Martin for the #3 job but I think he has the edge.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR CHIEFS QBs in 2010:  C

The Chiefs picked OLB Cameron Sheffield out of Troy with the 142nd overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Sheffield is a big guy at 6′2″, 256 pounds and he can run a 4.8 40 so he is likely a good enough athlete to convert into a OLB as he played DE in college.  Sheffield played in 13 games (all starts) at Troy last season and he had 66 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks and he broke up 6 passes.  He played in 47 games (37 starts) in his four years in college and he had 163 tackles, 28.5 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, he broke up 13 passes and he had 1 interception.  Sheffield will need coached up by Romeo Crennel but he has the talent to help out down the road for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have picked safety Kendrick Lewis out of Mississippi with the 136th overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Lewis is a so-so athlete at 5′11″, 195 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Lewis is a converted WR who is still learning how to play safety.  Lewis can probably handle either safety spot but he’s probably more equipped to play strong safety because pass defense is not his strong suit right now.  Lewis played in 13 games (all starts) at Mississippi  last season and he finished up with 84 tackles, he has broke up 10 passes, has 2 interceptions and he has forced 3 fumbles.  Lewis played in 44 games (33 starts) in his four years at Mississippi and he finished up with 226 tackles, he broke up 18 passes, he had 6 interceptions, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Lewis will likely help the Chiefs most on special teams as a rookie.

The Chiefs have picked TE Tony Moeaki out of Iowa with the 93rd overall pick of the NFL Draft (3rd round).  He is a nice target at 6′3″, 247 pounds and he has a good set of hands.  His pass catching is his lone asset though as he is not much of a blocker in the running game.  Moeaki played in 10 games (all starts) for the Hawkeyes last season and he caught 26 passes for 302 yards (11.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He played in 48 games (15 starts) at Iowa in which he caught 72 passes for 838 yards (11.6 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Moeaki is a injury prone player as he has never played every game in a season in college.  I think the Chiefs reached a bit for Moeaki but he fills a big need.