Kansas City, Mo. ? If John Welbourn can talk the brass into taking him back, he’ll get a warm welcome from his old Kansas City teammates.

In the executive offices, however, there seems to be skepticism about a player who will have missed 10 games in two years for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

“I think John could help the team. He’s obviously a gifted player and started a lot of games for us,” quarterback Trent Green said Thursday. “If he comes back and is ready to play and can help the team, I think everybody would be pretty open to that.”

The NFL announced Wednesday that Welbourn, who retired in June but later asked for reinstatement, had been suspended for six games.

After sitting out a four-game suspension at the beginning of last season for the same reason, Welbourn wound up starting nine games and was an important part of a 10-6 season.

The Chiefs hold his rights for the next three years. But general manager Carl Peterson seemed lukewarm to the idea of taking him back.

“Specific to what his status will be with the Chiefs after the suspension, we’ll address at that time,” Peterson said.

Like just about any other team in the NFL, the Chiefs could make use of an experienced lineman.

The unexpected retirement of left tackle Willie Roaf on the eve of training camp tore another hole in their offensive line, which has long been a strength of the Chiefs.