Chiefs can still add to their wide receiver room without getting star player
The Kansas City Chiefs still have one big issue on their hands – they don't have a wide receiver one. They had one last year, and while he wasn't an ideal one, JuJu Smith-Schuster still got the job done and had almost 1,000 receiving yards on the day. Of all of the moves they have […]
The Kansas City Chiefs still have one big issue on their hands – they don't have a wide receiver one. They had one last year, and while he wasn't an ideal one, JuJu Smith-Schuster still got the job done and had almost 1,000 receiving yards on the day.
Of all of the moves they have made this offseason, and they have made some very good moves, it seems like when it comes to the receiver room, they are actually losing guys because they are. They lost Mecole Hardman to the New York Jets, Smith-Schuster to the New England Patriots, and have yet to hear anything from Justin Watson.
So, really, in that area, it's not going according to what they had planned.
"The plan this offseason was that they were hoping Patrick Mahomes was going to be throwing to essentially the same group he was in the Super Bowl," James Palmer of NFL Network said. "But if you look at the way the receiver market has played out, it's been rather interesting. Now, they are looking at DeAndre Hopkins and they're monitoring Odell Beckham Jr.
"They're looking at both of them, but they're also taking their time like a lot of teams because of the way the wide receiver market is playing out because of the lack of wide receiver talent in this upcoming draft. So if you wait and you see what Arizona is doing with DeAndre Hopkins or if Odell Beckham Jr continues to wait and the price gets lower because the Chiefs have had an interest in him for well over a year, then they'll make their play."
So, we have heard all of the rumors about the Chiefs and Hopkins or the Chiefs and Beckham, but that's all it has been – rumors. If they still want a wide receiver one to hold it down for next season, it will likely have to be one of those guys because there isn't much out there anymore.
But, if they would like to make Kadarius Toney a wide receiver one and just look for depth instead, they can still do that. There are a few guys out there that could add tremendous depth to the roster, especially for the wide receiver room.
One of the first guys that come to mind is of course Justin Watson, who the Chiefs Haven't re-signed yet and hasn't made a deal with any other team. He fit well in this offense last season and was a guy the Chiefs often used when they wanted to go deep due to his speed. Watson ended his 2022 season with the Chiefs with 315 yards on 15 catches with two touchdowns. The numbers may not seem like much, but he was a big help during the season.
They could also bring back Byron Pringle, who had his best season the last year he was with the Chiefs in 2021. He had over 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns that year and has since been on the Chicago Bears. He is currently a free agent, is cheap and already knows the system. The Chiefs may as well bring him back.
Another guy the Chiefs could bring on, or bring back I should say, is Demarcus Robinson, who also had the best season of his career in Kansas City and was once the third receiver on the team. He has over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns with the Chiefs. He knows the offense too, has worked with Mahomes, would be cheap, and even has hinted at making a return on social media when he flashed the Super Bowl ring he got with the Chiefs in 2019.
The Chiefs aren't guaranteed a number one guy, no one is really. But, that doesn't mean they can't still add to the room overall. They should strongly consider adding one or two of these guys.
