Chiefs need to quickly sign talented XFL player that the rest of the NFL is ignoring
The Kansas City Chiefs showed everyone last season that the only elite receiving option they need is tight end Travis Kelce. Plenty of analysts were sounding doomsday alarms last offseason when the Chiefs traded superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. Kansas City, however, silenced the critics by winning their second Super Bowl […]
The Kansas City Chiefs showed everyone last season that the only elite receiving option they need is tight end Travis Kelce.
Plenty of analysts were sounding doomsday alarms last offseason when the Chiefs traded superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
Kansas City, however, silenced the critics by winning their second Super Bowl in three years.
While the Chiefs don't necessarily need an elite wide receiver on the roster to win a championship, it doesn't mean they should quit searching for wide receivers with upside to add to the roster.
And there's one XFL wide receiver (that the rest of the NFL seems to be ignoring) that Kansas City should take a chance on.
It's surprising that former Mississippi State/Tennessee wide receiver Javonta Payton hasn't been signed by an NFL franchise.
Payton went undrafted in 2022 before signing a UDFA deal with the Arizona Cardinals. The Nashville native was released just after the start of the 2022 season.
The former Vol has NFL talent. And he could be a sneaky under-the-radar addition to Kansas City's roster if they choose to pursue him.
Payton played in two unique offenses during his time in college. At Mississippi State, Payton played in the Air Raid offense under the late Mike Leach (essentially the same offense that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes played in at Texas Tech).
During Payton's one season at Tennessee, he played in Josh Heupel's up-tempo spread offense that features a lethal vertical passing game.
Payton showed at Tennessee that he can be a consistent deep threat. He only caught 18 passes for 413 yards during the 2021 season with the Vols, but six of his receptions were touchdowns. And he averaged 22.9 yards per catch.
I don't think Payton is ever going to be an NFL star. He might not even total more than 500 receiving yards in a season. But he could still be a welcome addition to the Chiefs' offense. Andy Reid is one of the most innovative coaches in the NFL and Payton comes from two innovative collegiate offenses. It could be a perfect match and it would give Kansas City another offensive weapon that teams have to account for.
There's no doubt that Kelce is bound to attract even more attention from opposing defenses in 2023, so it makes sense for Kansas City to spice things up by adding another offensive weapon to the mix. This move could help relieve some of the pressure off Kelce, keeping the Chiefs' offense firing on all cylinders.
