Latest Chiefs trade deadline buzz from NFL insiders gives more intel on targets, mentions Kansas City position group surplus as one to watch
Will the Kansas City Chiefs make a move ahead of the NFL trade deadline? We break down the latest from ESPN…
Will the Kansas City Chiefs be active ahead of the upcoming Nov. 4 trade deadline? A pair of NFL insiders thinks they could be, and it’s not just all about acquiring players, either.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano published their weekly NFL intel and buzz piece, including a substantial discussion on the Chiefs ahead of the upcoming trade deadline. They’ve since shifted their conversation from the running back position and the offensive side of the ball to the defensive side.
“But I do think the Chiefs could add defensive linemen,” Fowler wrote. “They are depleted on the interior.”
“They have added defensive linemen in the past (Melvin Ingram in 2021 a prime example),” Graziano wrote. “That’s the type of move I could see.”
The shift to a defensive focus shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, given the recent reports from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and the recent ACL injury to Chiefs second-round draft pick Omarr Norman-Lott.
The team might be a bit gun-shy after the failed trade for Josh Uche last season. It’s no coincidence that Graziano mentioned a player like Ingram, who came to Kansas City as a 10-year NFL veteran. Adding a player like that could avoid another Uche situation in 2025.
The Chiefs have a cornerback surplus that could be of value to other NFL teams
Kansas City doesn’t exactly have a lot of late-round ammunition in the 2026 NFL Draft to send to an opposing team in trade. They do, however, have a surplus of cornerbacks, including two who aren’t playing much.
“The Chiefs’ cornerback room is one to watch entering the deadline,” Fowler wrote. “Free agent addition Kristian Fulton is a healthy scratch. Could they find a way out of his two-year, $20 million deal? Rookie Nohl Williams is emerging, and fourth-year player Joshua Williams could have trade value.”
I tend to believe that Joshua Williams is the more appealing trade candidate of the two compared to Fulton. The Chiefs knew what they were getting into with Fulton, signing him despite knowing he’d need the knee cleanup surgery that cost him a bulk of the offseason.
Trading him would cost the team around $6 million in dead money, given the structure of his two-year deal. It’d also put the team back at square one on its 2026 cornerback group, with Jaylen Watson slated for free agency. Meanwhile, Williams is on an expiring contract and has been relegated to special teams work after being key depth early in his career.
Chiefs CB Joshua Williams Quick Facts
- Former 2022 fourth-round draft pick out of Fayetteville State.
- Listed at 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds.
- Appeared in 57 regular-season games with 12 career starts.
- Recorded 93 total tackles, one sack, one interception, and 18 passes defended.
Beyond that trio, the Chiefs also have Nazeeh Johnson, who remains on injured reserve and can be designated to return at any time, so long as he’s healthy. The Chiefs just signed CB Kevin Knowles to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
It’s the type of roster move that could signal something is in the works at the cornerback position with a player like Williams, who has strictly played special teams for Kansas City this year, outside of 11 defensive snaps across two games.
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