TYREEK HILL IN YEAR 2: Why the Jeremy Maclin release isn't surprising
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...es-role-of-wr1
The release of the veteran receiver of Jeremy Maclin caught the football world by surprise, but anyone paying close attention to the Kansas City Chiefs should've expected the team to find a way to expand the role of Pro Bowl playmaker Tyreek Hill after he set the league on fire as a multi-purpose weapon in Year 1.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound playmaker scored 12 total touchdowns (six receiving, three rushing, two punt returns and one kick return) in 138 total touches as a rookie, exhibiting a combination of speed, quickness, versatility and big-play ability that's hard to find. On a team that has a tough time generating "explosives" (rushes over 15 yards, receptions of at least 25 yards), the Chiefs needed to find more playing time for their most dynamic offensive weapon in 2017 after he posted video game-like production while only playing on 40 percent of the offensive snaps.
With Andy Reid and his staff counting on more opportunities leading to more production, I'm not the least bit surprised that the team swapped out Maclin for Hill on offense. No disrespect to the eight-year veteran, but the "Z" receiver in Reid's scheme is reserved for a top playmaker in the passing game, and Maclin didn't deliver the numbers to match his compensation. Sure, he posted a 1,000-yard season in 2015 (87 receptions for 1,088 yards and eight scores), but he only posted 536 receiving yards on 44 catches during an injury-marred second season with the squad. That's simply not enough production to hold on to the No. 1 role in Kansas City's offense, especially given Hill's emergence as an electric playmaker.
"I don't know if I ever viewed [Maclin] as a No. 1 receiver," an AFC personnel executive told me. "He is capable of making plays, but he is more of a complementary receiver on most offenses. I think he is a No. 2 receiver all day long."
With that in mind, I understand why the Chiefs would want more from the player manning the spotlight position on the perimeter. The "Z" receiver is supposed to have game-breaker qualities (speed, explosiveness and running skills) that encourage the play caller to craft a variety of plays designed to take advantage of his skills. Not to mention, the flexibility of the position allows the offensive coordinator to put him on the move (motion) or in the slot to create mismatches on the perimeter.
Looking at the stats from Hill's rookie season, it is interesting how the Chiefs primarily deployed him out wide (207 snaps) or in the slot (163 snaps) when he was in the game at wide receiver. With the star also spending time in the backfield (31 snaps at running back), it is easy to see how the Chiefs could expand his role as a versatile playmaker this season.
"Growing Tyreek in the offense will be important," Reid told reporters at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix earlier this offseason.
While the expansion of Hill's role will certainly feature more time at running back and other gadget positions, he must continue to refine his game at wide receiver.
"He was a running back that they kind of moved around a little bit," Reid said in Phoenix. "His routes when he first came were kind of raw. They weren't as disciplined as they need to be in this offense. So much of this offense is timing and being in a certain spot and knowing defenses, knowing secondaries and all that, how you're going to make adjustments. That was all new. He is a smart kid. He picked it up so fast, and he was able to play at our level."
To be fair, Hill doesn't necessarily need to be the Chiefs' best pass catcher to capably fill Maclin's role.
Travis Kelce is really the team's No. 1 option in the passing game; Hill is the speedy complement on the outside. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end topped the 1,000-yard mark a season ago and finished with 70-plus catches for the second straight year (72 receptions in 2015, 85 in '16). Thus, the Chiefs' aerial attack actually revolves around Kelce's ability to exploit mismatches between the hashes against linebackers and safeties.
With Hill suddenly positioned at "Z", defensive coordinators will have to decide whether to keep a safety deep to guard against the long ball or use a bracket coverage to neutralize Kelce over the middle of the field. Considering how the Chiefs can bust up those plans by moving Hill around the formation as a decoy on the perimeter, the team's offense is suddenly more dangerous and dynamic with the second-year pro playing a bigger role in the game plan.
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