Kansas City Chiefs: Five Surprise Candidates to Start in 2016

Surprise Players to Start – Number 4: James O’Shaughnessy

The other day, I recapped what the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end competition looked like for the second spot. We all know that Travis Kelce is the sure thing to get the number one job, but what about number two?

The reason why I place O’Shaughnessy on my surprise players list is that he’s still a young guy in the league.

I mentioned in that article how my vote would go to Demetrius Harris for the second tight end spot, but I’d like to see former fifth round pick James O’Shaughnessy get a chance at the position.

O’Shaughnessy showed some grit during his rookie year last year. He had a few grab-and-runs where he almost looked like a miniature (and I use that term loosely) Travis Kelce, and he showed he could move well with the football after the catch.

The reason why I place O’Shaughnessy on my surprise players list is that he’s still a young guy in the league. Not only that, but he was a fifth round draft choice out of a smaller school, meaning he’s not a for sure thing to even make the roster in 2016.

While I don’t see the team parting ways with the former Illinois State standout, he has Harris, Brian Parker, and Ross Travis to compete with on the tight end depth chart.

While I’d love to see O’Shag get a chance to prove himself, I’ll be shocked if he’s the second starter come opening Sunday against the Chargers.

Next: Another offensive weapon