Here's something to gnaw on to pass a rainy Chiefs Thursday: If you had to, in effect, build around two Chiefs players, who would you choose?

Some background: My venerable colleague Randy Covitz pointed out to me this morning, in response to this morning's story on veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson, that if the NFL enters an uncapped year, Johnson might not yet become a free agent. Another interesting detail under that uncapped-year scenario is that each team would be awarded a second franchise tag, meaning two players instead of one could be labeled -- and paid like -- a franchise player.

It got me to thinking about the building blocks on this team. Who is so valuable, regardless of current contract status, that it would be worth paying him as a top-five player at his position just to keep him in Kansas City? I think you'll agree that there are startlingly few candidates, when you consider all the factors.

So for discussion's sake, if the Chiefs and every other team had to franchise two of their own players, regardless of who would be a free agent, before the 2010 season, who would Kansas City choose? Who is worth not only that designation but, more important, the money it would take to franchise him? When a player is given the franchise tag, it adds a year and a guaranteed salary of the average salaries of the league's top five players at his position. In simplified terms, if the Chiefs were to franchise Matt Cassel, they'd have to pay him an average of what the Mannings, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, etc., will earn next season. That's a high figure to consider, and it would and should influence a team's thinking.

I'll reveal my top five contenders list in a moment, and you might think my choices are crazy. But factoring in age, position, value to the team's future, and the premium placed on a particular position (quarterbacks, cornerbacks and wide receivers earn the most in the NFL), who could the Chiefs simply not afford to let go if the league mandated that each team was required to franchise two players?

The point of this is to say that the Chiefs just don't have many players now that I consider irreplaceable or those who could even possibly be considered among the league's top-five players at that position? It's not always that black and white, but you still have to justify such a high salary somehow.

So here's my list of possibilities, ranked in order of who I'd ultimately franchise:

1. CB Brandon Flowers. He's young, talented and motivated. You can build a defense around a solid corner, and that's what Flowers is. The Chiefs would have to pay to catch up the second-year Flowers with highly paid players such as Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall. But I think it's worth it.
2. FS Jarrad Page. Fire away. But before you do, consider that Page's veteran salary isn't that much lower than what even the league's top safeties earn now. Like him or not, and there are things the Chiefs would definitely like to change about Page, but he can be a difference-maker. When it came down to it, too, they'd need to only give him a raise of only $2 million or $3 million a year, hardly a backbreaking sum.
3. OLB Mike Vrabel. He is aging, but he seems to have another two or three strong seasons left. He's also a strong voice in the locker room, something the Chiefs don't have many of these days. This isn't an ideal pick, certainly, but this speaks to how few players the Chiefs have to consider.
4. LT Branden Albert. I like Albert as a foundation block, but he would command a substantial salary bump. Most high draft picks, as Albert was, receive most of their money up front. His base salary, therefore, might not be huge. Either way, the Chiefs would have to pay Albert as one of the league's top tackles. Albert is promising, but has he proven yet that he's worth $6 million or $7 million a year?
5. LG Brian Waters. See: Mike Vrabel. Another aging veteran, but Waters' current salary isn't far away from being the pace-setter among the league's top-paid guards. This would clearly be a one-year move, as Waters could begin to slow any time now.

You might notice that neither of the Chiefs' previous top draft picks, Glenn Dorsey or Tyson Jackson, are on my list? In addition to how far their base salaries would have be raised to reach the Jared Allens and Albert Haynsworths, neither players has proved yet that he's worth top-five money, or even top 10 for that matter.

And don't tell me Dwayne Bowe or Derrick Johnson. Neither of those players has yet substantiated their current contracts, let alone a major bump, particularly in Bowe's case, that would put him in the financial company of Terrell Owens and Larry Fitzgerald.

Matt Cassel? Considering that he was franchised entering this season, and he would've made nearly $15 million, a figure that would rise to nearly $17 million after this season, would you argue that Cassel has yet proved that he's worth that kind of money, particularly for the short-term? Larry Johnson is grossly overpaid as it is, so he's out.

The Chiefs don't possess many players that they simply could not live without. This speaks to how far Kansas City has to go before being an elite team. Just think about the dilemma that New England or the Giants would face if they could protect only two players. The Chiefs wouldn't have that issue. In fact, they'd have a hard time justifying any two players.

That's a telling situation for today's Chiefs and the roster they're trying to win with.