Seriously, though, the Chiefs should trade for a WR
Seriously, though, the Chiefs should trade for a WR
The pickings are slimmer now, but Brett Veach and Andy Reid shouldn't ignore the current need on the roster
I’ve avoided writing about this topic for a couple of weeks just to see how the league overall developed. But I’m on the last day of a vacation, it’s a lovely morning outside, and it feels like a good day to finally write about the fact that the Chiefs really should acquire another wide receiver.
We all know the story. Coming into the season, the trio of Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, and Xavier Worthy was going to make Chiefs fans forget all about the 2023 woes at WR. Then, after Brown’s injury was thought to be a relatively temporary one, bringing in Juju Smith-Schuster seemed to solidify the roster even more, bumping down Justin Watson and Mecole Hardman to WR5 and WR6 once Brown came back.
Now, we know that things aren’t going to be that way. Brown is out for the regular season at least from all appearances (and I’m skeptical on a magical playoff run). Rashee Rice is out until next season (and we’ll see what suspension looms for him). And suddenly, the Chiefs find themselves with a WR room that had the following snap count in Week 5:
Justin Watson - 70% of the snaps
Xavier Worthy - 67% of the snaps (and not enough targets deep)
Juju Smith-Schuster - 67% of the snaps
Mecole Hardman - 10% of the snaps
Skyy Moore - 7% of the snaps
While some have pointed to Patrick Mahomes’ public statement that he has confidence in the WR group, the reality of the situation is pretty grim. And it’s actually worse than it even appears on the surface, as it’s not as though injuries have been turned off Madden-style the rest of the season. Juju has been limited in practice this week, and while he’s likely to play that serves as a reminder that one of the issues that limited him in 2022 was the fact that he was consistently playing while nicked up and hindered. We’ll circle back to that shortly.
With Davante Adams now a Jet (we all knew that’s how that was going to end) and Amari Cooper (a favorite trade target for many Chiefs fans, including myself) going to Buffalo, the wide receiver trade market isn’t quite as loaded as it was a week ago. And to be honest, there are still some fans that are skeptical of the idea that Brett Veach should give up future assets for a 2024 mercenary. Frankly, I understand that skepticism. However, I think there’s a very strong argument to be made that it would be in Kansas City’s best interests to do so, and potentially not just for this year, but next year as well.
Let’s talk about why the WR room is so concerning, especially given the realities of how much season is left on the table, why a trade makes sense, and what players I’d actively consider if I were Brett Veach (and why).