This really isn't designed to be the all-weakness showcase, and we promise to eventually get to a position the Chiefs are in good shape at. But by my count, there might only be three truly solid position groups. Can you guess which three I'm thinking about?

Well, while you're thinking, let's knock out another group that might have some trouble in 2009. It's not that there isn't enough talent here. No, there's plenty of that. It's just that none of the Chiefs' wide receivers are exactly where they need to be. And with Tony Gonzalez having been traded -- here's another promise: We won't be dwelling on Gonzalez in this entry -- the team just doesn't have as many reliable options as it would like.

Dwayne Bowe, of course, continues to be the biggest mystery on a team that desperately needs him to take the next step. He was promising in 2007, his first season after the Chiefs made him their first-round pick and started what appears to be a multi-year contract with LSU to draft one of its players in the first round. Bowe was primed for a big season last year, but then some sour things happened. Brodie Croyle got hurt, taking away the most promising and pure passer the team thought it had at the time. Damon Huard looked often toward Bowe, but Huard made only a cameo last year. Then it became Tyler Thigpen's team, and Thigpen had a hard time looking away from Gonzalez.

Who could blame Thigpen? A sure bet for the hall of fame, a big tight end with obsessive tendencies about his receiving skills, a safe option to pass the football with consistency. Bowe became a bit of an afterthought, at least more than he should have been, and too often when he did get his chances, the ball bounced off his hands. It'll be a while before many Chiefs fans forget that slow-motion gag reel against San Diego, when Bowe smothered the Chargers' onside kick, and the ball squirted through his arms and into San Diego's possession. Ballgame.

Bowe said a few weeks ago that he has worked long and hard to improve his clear weakness in his game. Todd Haley said he'd hoped, upon his first times seeing Bowe drop a pass, that there was something perhaps wrong with Bowe's vision. An easy fix. But, alas, Bowe's vision is fine. It's his hands and concentration that remain the problem. Haley has deemed Bowe one of the coach's pet projects, and the Chiefs coach being a former longtime wide receivers coach and all, Bowe will get lots of attention.

But one thing Haley also has made clear is that this team is not just the Bowe show. Mark Bradley and Bobby Engram, one of a handful of Kansas City's free-agent signings, can play, but neither is a game-changer or a deep threat. Bradley had his issues in Chicago to the point the Bears released him last year, and Seattle gave up on the aging Engram. We shouldn't forget Gonzalez's (likely) replacement, second-year tight end Brad Cottam. Haley indicated that Cottam had underachieved in offseason workouts and that the starting job was wide open.

The point is that there seems to be talent in the wide receivers corps, but there's just not much reason for confidence. Each of those players -- and those are just the projected starters -- have clear and intimidating asterisks hanging around their names, and that's not good news for quarterback Matt Cassel or a team willing to spend nearly $15 million to find out whether Cassel has the goods to be the Chiefs' franchise quarterback.

It never made much sense why the Chiefs didn't go hard after Torry Holt, another aging wideout but a man who is three years younger than Engram and still possesses some of the skills that got him to the Pro Bowl every season but two since his rookie year in 1999. Other than signing Engram and a few other role players, the Chiefs stood pat with veterans such as Jeff Webb and Devard Darling making up the team's receivers depth. That's the Chiefs' lineup, and Holt signed with Jacksonville. It just seemed that in a time when Kansas City (and Cassel) needs as much help as it can get, another dynamic wide receiver -- yes, an admittedly expensive one, but have you seen the number of available dollars the Chiefs have these days? -- would have been a worthwhile investment.

With Gonzalez packing the truck for Atlanta, the Chiefs' receiving corps is now Bowe's baby. The third-year wideout must turn the corner, eliminate the drops and establish himself as an outstanding receiver -- not a receiver with outstanding potential but an unreliable history. Bowe needs to emerge into the superstar he can be, and he can't wait until Week 10. Consistency will come at a premium on this year's offense, and Cassel will need a reliable set of hands the same as Thigpen needed Gonzalez a year ago.

GRADING THE INTANGIBLES
TALENT: C -- Bowe has elite talent, even if his concentration problems have overshadowed his potential. Bradley is a former second-round pick, and Engram has had some terrific seasons. The question is whether he is fresh enough to make an impact in his 14th season.
CHEMISTRY: B- -- Part of Engram's list of responsibilities is to mentor Bowe. So far, the youngster has embraced the role and toned down the Bowe sideshow from years past. Even if Engram doesn't play well in 2009, having an impact on Bowe would make signing the veteran a wide investment.
EXPERIENCE: B+ -- The Chiefs' wideouts have a combined 33 years of NFL experience, and only two rookies -- Taurus Johnson and Quinten Lawrence -- are on the roster as of today.
OUTLOOK: B- -- It's hard to be anything but hopeful about the combination of Haley and Engram helping Bowe reach his potential. Bowe clearly is a player who needs someone to work closely with him to help him turn the corner, and now he has a coach and a teammate in his ear. Bradley is a solid No. 2, and Engram, Darling and Webb are decent veterans. Yes, the Chiefs need one or two more above-average receivers, and that should be a priority in free agency and the draft in 2010. The team would be in far better shape if Cottam could emerge as a reliable target instead of just a blocker.