I'm going to answer that question with an emphatic "no" because I'm operating under this assumption: The Chiefs will never, ever
begin to replace what they lost in Tony Gonzalez. It's time for this franchise, which built its passing game around the tight end for many years now, to think differently about this.

And another thing: The Chiefs began preparing for this eventuality last year when they drafted Brad Cottam in the third round. We've seen enough from Cottam to know that he'll never rival Gonzalez as a pass receiver. That doesn't mean he won't eventually become a helpful player. We'll see.

But it makes sense, particular in light of the fact the Chiefs have much work to do in fixing their offensive line and their defense, to go with Cottam and the newly acquired Sean Ryan, a blocker, for the season to see what they've got.

If that's a mistake, the Chiefs can set about to fixing that next year. Let the Chiefs worry about the spots they know are problems now.