Kansas City Chiefs: Five Takeaways From OTAs

Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) celebrates with guard Matt Tobin (64) after scoring a touchdown during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Maclin adds a dimension to the KC Chiefs maybe not seen since the days of speedster JJ Birden. The wide receiver position has not been one of the Chiefs’ strong suits over the years, but Maclin can change that.

With the departure of Dwayne Bowe, Maclin, a former Philadelphia Eagle, becomes the main target for Alex Smith. Bowe’s career in Kansas City will go down as one of the best for team wideouts, but in the past few years he had turned in to more of a possession receiver.

Maclin’s speed will help spread the field for Smith, and hopefully create space for Albert Wilson, Jason Avant and Chris Conley to contribute to the passing game as well.

However, speed is not the only thing he brings to the table.

In an article by KCChiefs.com reporter BJ Kissel, Reid praised Maclin’s effort after he made sure to treat every play like it was a game situation.

"“That’s him; that’s 100 percent him. That’s how he plays. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game, it’s a practice, it’s shorts—that’s how he rolls. That’s the beauty of him.”"

Here’s Maclin working on his footwork during the workouts.

So far, Maclin is panning out exactly how Chiefs’ fans were hoping, and is showing no signs of a major 2013 knee injury.

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