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KANSAS CITY, Mo. —The last time he played for the Kansas City Chiefs before his four-week NFL suspension, Dwayne Bowe had one of his best games of the season, catching six passes in a win over the Raiders.
The Chiefs welcomed Bowe back Monday and are eager to get him back in the lineup for this weekend's game against Cleveland at Arrowhead Stadium. They aren't necessarily expecting him to pick up where he left off.
"It's unreasonable to expect him to come in and play as good or better as he was before he left,'' wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "The hardest thing about missing games during the season is the speed of the game. It's going to be a challenge for him to play within his own realm and make the plays that come to him, but he's capable of handling it. He's got to let the game come to him and not stress about making a big play. He just has to play solid."
Bowe was suspended by the league for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances. He declined interview requests Monday.
Chris Chambers gave the Chiefs some big plays in Bowe's absence, but they are still trying to establish a consistent passing game. Quarterback Matt Cassel has played poorly in three straight games and threw four interceptions in Sunday's 16- 10 loss to Buffalo.
He could no doubt use a receiver with Bowe's ability to run after the catch.
"We'll have to do our best to see where he's at and get him up to speed,'' coach Todd Haley said. "Any time you're missing one of your better players... I'm personally excited about having Dwayne back. He was making tremendous strides when the suspension occurred, and I think he's made strides in all areas to the point I believe Dwayne cares about what we're trying to do.
"We need all the hands we can get. It will be a matter of getting him up to speed mentally and getting him into the mix."
Haley wouldn't specify how much Bowe would play against the Browns. He didn't waste any time getting new receivers Wade and Chambers into the rotation earlier in the season. But neither of those players had just finished a four-week layoff as Bowe has.
"Just in looking at him, it looks like he's done a pretty good job of keeping himself in condition," Haley said. "He says he has, which is what I would expect him to have done. I would expect him to get right back in the mix."
With Bowe returning, one of the other receivers will get squeezed out. Chambers, Wade, Mark Bradley and Lance Long each played a considerable number of snaps against the Bills and caught at least two passes.
The receivers who play against the Browns should see the ball a lot. Haley is that committed to the passing game, problems and all. Despite a close game, Haley ordered 47 pass attempts against Buffalo and just 26 runs.
Running back Jamaal Charles gained 143 yards, averaged more than 7 yards per carry and scored Kansas City's only touchdown on a superbly blocked 76-yard run.
Haley said 2-minute drives at the end of each half threw the run-pass balance out of whack.
"We have two 2-minute situations in that game, and we ended up throwing the ball," Haley said. "I think that makes it appear a little more pass-heavy than we were. I feel pretty good about how that game went as far as (play-calling) decisions that were made, for the most part.
"I love what we did in the run game. Any time you can have those types of averages, that's great for us and we'd generally be in pretty good shape when we do that.
"But you've got to do what you think, in the situation, gives you the best chance to move the chains. In reviewing the tape, I'm fairly comfortable with most of the decisions we made."
Haley is also sensitive to overworking Charles, who at 200 pounds isn't as big as many featured backs. Between runs and pass receptions, Charles was given the ball 27 times against the Bills.
"We've got to give (Charles) some breaks throughout the game," Haley said. "Every time a run is called, with the way he's running, you wish he was in there. That's more because of him and the big plays he's making and less about the other (backs)."
