INDIANAPOLIS — The Kansas City Chiefs appear serious about fixing the biggest hole on their roster after the 2014 season. After largely ignoring the wide receiver position in the run up to last year’s schedule, general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid will not be non-participants in the competition for pass-catching talent.

That’s what happens when an offense plays 16 games and the wide receivers do not catch a single touchdown catch. No team in the post-merger NFL (1970) has ever gone an entire season without a wide receiver taking a pass into the end zone.

The Chiefs started the process of revamping the position by clearing salary-cap room with the release of wide receivers Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins. Those moves left the team with only $500,000 in dead money and cleared north of $4.8 million under the salary cap for the 2015 season.

“Two different situations; one guy is a little bit younger than the other guy,” Reid said of Avery and Jenkins. “Donnie has had a lot of good years in the National Football League. Hopefully he continues to have good years. I’m pulling for him. A.J. is just learning. He’ll continue to do that and hopefully he hooks on with somebody and has that opportunity.”

Avery was scheduled to make $2.7 million in base salary in 2015 with a $500,000 bonus if he was on the roster and $200,000 workout bonus. It was all part of the three-year, $8.55 million deal he signed in 2013 as an unrestricted free agent. His release gives the Chiefs $3.4 million in cap savings in 2015. Jenkins was scheduled to make $660,000 in base salary with a $677,390 roster bonus. His release gives the Chiefs a cap saving of $1,337,390.

Both Avery and Jenkins dealt with injuries far more than they did with catching passes. Avery missed 14 games in two seasons because of injury and ended up catching 55 passes for 772 yards and two touchdown catches. He also had a 79-yard scoring catch against Indianapolis in the 2013 playoffs. Jenkins did not play in 11 games over the last two seasons and caught 17 passes for 223 yards and no touchdowns. He also had a catch for 27 yards against the Colts in the post-season.

The next move at the position figures to involve Dwayne Bowe and his compensation. This year, Bowe carries a $14 million cap number and is due to receive $11 million in salary and bonuses. The Chiefs would not realize a great savings by releasing Bowe, as they would clear $5 million under the cap, but would carry $9 million in dead money. Since signing his five-year, $56 million contract before the 2013 season, Bowe has seen a drop in his production. In 31 games in the 2013-14 seasons, he caught 125 passes for 1,577 yards and six touchdown receptions. He also collected $25 million of that $56 million package.

There are seven other receivers on the Chiefs roster: Armon Binns, Frankie Hammond (ERFA), Junior Hemingway (RFA), Corbin Louks, Da’Rick Rogers, Fred Williams and Albert Williams. Veteran Jason Avant will become an unrestricted free agent in March. Among that group, only Albert Williams figures to be a lock to move forward after he showed so much promise last season as an undrafted rookie.