KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have ended whatever suspense there might have been about the identity of their starting quarterback in 2017. General manager John Dorsey recently said that Alex Smith “absolutely” would be the starter when the Chiefs begin play next season.

“We’ve said all along he’s the starter," Dorsey said. “I don’t know what more you want to say. We have a playoff team. He’s led this franchise to three playoff seasons out of four, which is pretty good in my eyes."

So forget about the Chiefs pursuing Tony Romo, which seemed a long shot to begin with because of his massive contract. It also would rule out Nick Foles, last season’s backup. The NFL Network reported the Chiefs would decline to pick up the option on the final season of Foles’ contract, which is no surprise given their public stance on Smith.

Otherwise, the Chiefs still have work to do at quarterback. Their other QBs are Tyler Bray and Joel Stave. Bray has been with the Chiefs four seasons, though he never has played in a regular-season game. The Chiefs obviously see potential in the talented Bray. They’ve kept him around a long time despite little return and at one point even extended his contract and bumped his salary before such a move became necessary.

But the fact the Chiefs felt it necessary to sign Foles as their backup last summer would indicate they weren’t comfortable at that point, at least, with Bray as their No. 2 quarterback.

Stave joined the Chiefs on their practice squad last year.

So the Chiefs have a veteran in Smith and a couple of developmental candidates in Bray and Stave. Look for them to add at least one more quarterback, whether that’s a veteran or a draft pick, before practice begins in the spring.