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Chiefs Are Looking for a Little Help Behind Dwayne Bowe

Maybe what former Ravens third-round wideout Devard Darling needed was the proverbial change of scenery. Or maybe he's nothing more than a No. 3 or 4 NFL wide receiver. That he struggled to make it on the field in Baltimore's anemic offense is indicting, but it's hard to place all the blame on the pass catchers when Kyle Boller is whizzing footballs in the general direction in which they were intended.

Whatever, Darling is now in Kansas City, and he's trying earn playing time on the only AFC unit with bigger questions at wide receiver than Baltimore (the Bears have the league's worst wideouts by miles, in case you're wondering). Second-year player Dwayne Bowe is quarterback Brodie Croyle's go-to guy -- and he should be -- but after that, it's a crapshoot.
The rest of the Chiefs' receiving unit is a bit of a mystery. But Croyle is pretty sure he's spotted the Chiefs' fastest receiver.

"That would probably be Devard Darling," Croyle said. "He can really go. It's one of those things where you don't really notice it until you see the film. He just 'leaves' people."
So there's that. Bowe is primed for another big season, but defenses are sure to roll coverages in his direction, which means that Tony Gonzalez and his protege, Brad Cottam, will play an integral role in the offense (which, frankly, isn't much of a change).

Terry Glenn Appears to Have Played His Last Game for the Cowboys

Almost a month ago, it looked like Terry Glenn had decided that signing that injury waiver was in his best interest. Apparently not. The Cowboys are in Oxnard, California for training camp and Glenn is not. Presumably because he reconsidered the whole injury waiver thing and decided it's not worth a the potential loss in salary.

Fine, except that owner Jerry Jones ain't budging on his demands, which means Glenn's Cowboys career could be quickly coming to an end. The Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor confirms as much, and his latest post sounds more like a eulogy than a "hey, training camp's here!" report.

For shiggles, let's assume Glenn is done in Dallas, then what? MDS mentioned that Tampa Bay could be a potential destination, and I'm sure Brett Favre would love to be reunited with his former teammate.

But perhaps a better (and less insane) idea would have the Browns, currently in need of some depth at wideout, trying to acquire Glenn. I'm not sure Glenn would be happy as a No. 3 wide receiver, but I suspect Cleveland's offense would feature enough multi-receiver looks that he would get plenty of snaps.

That the Browns haven't made a move to sign former Chargers wideout Eric Parker might indicate they're not in the market for a pass catcher, but if Glenn really has played his last game for the Cowboys, he won't be out of work long. NFL teams are forever in need of guys who can make plays.

Stallworth Tweaks Hammy, Crennel Doesn't Rule Out Cribbs in the Secondary

The Browns open training camp with something they haven't had in awhile: hope. After a surprising 10-win season in 2007, Cleveland looks to build on their success in '08. Naturally, a big part of that will fall to quarterback Derek Anderson, and with Joe Jurevicius out indefinitely, he'll need some help. One potential source of instant offense is returner Josh Cribbs.

The Browns have plans to get Cribbs more involved in the offense, which probably explains why there was such an emphasis on quick passes during the first few practices -- get him the ball early, and let him do his thing. But now his progress takes on added importance because one of the team's big free-agent acquisitions, wideout Donte' Stallworth, starts camp on the sidelines nursing a pulled hamstring.

He's only expected to miss a couple days, which is good news, but it just reinforces the team's need for depth at the position. Interestingly, the Browns have yet to make a move for recently released Chargers wideout Eric Parker, a player thought to be high on their free-agent wish list following the Jurevicius news.

In the meantime, guys like Travis Wilson, Syndric Steptoe, Steve Sanders and Kevin Kasper will all get extra reps.

As for Cribbs, his future could lie on the defensive side of the ball. Well, there'll have to be a run on injuries, but Romeo Crennel didn't offer a kindly "hell no" when the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi floated the idea that Cribbs could pull a "Troy Brown" if needed.

If Joe Jurevicius Isn't Healthy, Maybe the Browns Should Move Kellen Winslow to WR

Now that Joe Jurevicius might not be ready for the start of training camp, thanks to knee surgery No. 4 this offseason, the discussion turns to who will man the No. 3 wide receiver position in his absence. Pro Football Weekly writes that Joshua Cribbs could be one alternative, although they admit that he struggled with drop passes during minicamp.

There are also rumors that the Browns are interested in trading for Chargers wideout Eric Parker, and some fans wonder if Eddie Kennison or Joe Horn are viable options (yes, no and no). Perhaps the most intriguing alternative is the suggestion that the Browns could move tight end Kellen Winslow to receiver in certain passing situations. The Orange and Brown Report's Lane Adkins quickly nixes the thought:
Winslow does line-up wide often as part of the offensive scheme, but there is absolutely no desire on part of the Browns to move him to the WR spot and basically rip some of the fabric from the scheme.

Chargers Will Trade Eric Parker, Browns Need a No. 3 WR; Let's Make This Work, People

Joe Jurevicius has said this will be his final NFL season, and the Browns' No. 3 receiver might miss the start of '08 while he recovers from a knee injury. The Browns have Braylon Edwards, Donte' Stallworth and tight end Kellen Winslow, but have very little experience after that.

The team has given J.O.A.T.s Joshua Cribbs some work at wide receiver, and are pleasantly surprised with Travis Wilson's progress, but the front office could still make some moves prior to training camp.

The Chargers' Eric Parker could be that guy. San Diego signed return dude Mark Jones yesterday, which, as the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee notes, "isn't a big deal in and of itself," but it could spell the end of Parker's career in San Diego. Apparently, the Chargers are willing to deal the 29-year-old wideout, and if the can't, they'll release him before training camp.

Enter Cleveland:
The Cleveland Browns, whose offensive coordinator is former Chargers tight ends coach Rob Chudzinksi, are among the teams that have shown interest in Parker. The Chargers are believed to be asking for a draft pick somewhere in the final three rounds.
Eh, something less than a third-round pick seems kinda steep, but the Dolphins got a second-rounder from the Chargers for Chris Chambers, so who knows sounds about right. Plus, if Parker is completely healthy and can contribute as the No. 3 receiver for three or four seasons, then maybe it's worth it.

That would be good news for Derek Anderson (scrub!) and the Chargers' Malcom Floyd. Kassim Osgood, however, is still bummed.

Chargers Acquire Chris Chambers From Miami

Word has just come down that the Chargers have acquired wide receiver Chris Chambers from the Dolphins in a trade. According to Jay Glazer, the deal cost San Diego a high draft pick. Per Glazer:
San Diego has acquired wide receiver Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins for what it believed a second-round draft choice, FOXSports.com has learned.

Chambers confirmed the trade in an email to FOXSports, but declined further comment until speaking with Dolphins coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller.
There probably aren't many people in the world that are happier right now than Chambers. He goes from an 0-6 team to a 3-3 squad that has a legitimate shot at winning its division and making a run in the playoffs. San Diego hasn't had a solid receiver, aside from Antonio Gates, the last few years, and Chambers will provide that. Though his hands were unreliable last year, he is explosive and will give Philip Rivers an excellent option opposite Vincent Jackson. GM A.J. Smith clearly means business by making such a deal, but one has to wonder if giving up a second-round pick for Chambers was worth it. For Miami, this was a great value deal, considering they're heading for one of the top picks in the draft and are building for the future.

UPDATE: The Chargers will place receiver Eric Parker on injured reserve to make room for Chambers.

What Are the Chargers Planning at Wide Receiver?

No reasonable person would have expected the Chargers to be big players in free agency. Any kind of a high-profile buy in free agency would have been completely out of character for Chargers GM AJ Smith. He's a penny-squeezer. Rumor has it that "In God We Trust," was rubbed off these coins because they let AJ Smith hold them for a while.

And that's fine ... certainly you can't argue with the fruits of his spendthrift philosophies. But sooner or later, don't the Chargers have to do something about the wide receiver position? They released Keenan McCardell, which leaves Eric Parker and Vincent Jackson as the default starters. Nothing against Parker or Jackson; I like them both, but as a starting duo? Do we have that much faith in Norv Turner? Come on now.

And yet, the release and signing of Joe Horn came and went without any indication of interest from the Chargers. If they, for some reason, didn't want Joe Horn, that's okay. I'm not criticizing them for not being interested in Joe Horn. I'm criticizing them for not being interested in anyone.

This is not the time to be conservative. You've got a young quarterback who needs all the help he can get, and you've got the league's elite running back ... why make it easier for teams to stack the box against you by not having threats at wideout who can stretch and widen the field? The rest of the Chargers roster is Super Bowl-ready. Why risk more than you have to by leaving that one link in the chain so weak? I don't get it.

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