He doesn’t want to be Jonathan Baldwin any longer.
Just Jon.
“J-O-N,” he told reporters.
The Chiefs’ 2011 first-rounder can also shorten his title from “the other guy with Dwayne Bowe,” to “The Man,” for the time being anyway.
While Bowe’s somewhere else, yet to sign his $9.5 million franchise tender, Baldwin’s trying to win a larger role in the Chiefs’ offense, and he’s off to a good start.
“He feels like he might be the guy, and without Bowe being here, he sees that opportunity,” Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said, via Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. “When we drafted him, we felt good about his talent, about his size, about him going to get the football the way he goes to get it.
“He worked hard this offseason. He reported in great shape. He has a good attitude, so I anticipate that he’ll have a good year.”
Funny, when the franchise guy stays away from camp in a huff, how you hear about other guys with good attitudes.
But with Baldwin, the praise might be earned. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder with a 42-inch vertical leap has a set of physical skills few can match. And if he has an opening to make more plays, he might help make the Chiefs’ long-term decision on Bowe.