Six affordable free agent wide receivers for the Kansas City Chiefs to consider

With two unproven players at third receiver, and not much beyond that, who could bolster the Chiefs’ receivers?

At this point, the Kansas City Chiefs receivers are a bit of an unknown for various reasons.

While the Tyreek Hill situation may not result in his dismissal from the team, it’s still possible that he is not immediately available to start the season. Until the whole situation is resolved, the organization, the fans, and the NFL just don’t know what could happen.

The departure of Chris Conley also complicates the picture at receiver. While he wasn’t one of the most prolific wideouts in K.C., he was a stalwart at the third option for four years. His absence will undoubtedly leave a void, especially if Hill or Watkin has to miss any time during the season. That brings up another good point about inconsistency at receiver, since regardless of the Hill situation, it’s unlikely that Watkins will play in all 16 games given his health history.

So, that leaves only three logical options for the third receiver. The first, Demarcus Robinson, has shown flashes but has lacked consistency. He’s a good to great athlete but struggles to play within structure most of the time. That isn’t really something to be desired from a player who will at times be your second option.

The second option is Mecole Hardman. Hardman is an absolute blazer, running a 4.33 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Unfortunately, as with any rookie, you have absolutely no idea how they will really translate to the NFL until you see them out on the field. Even if they do end up making the transition, it could take a year or two before you see any real consistency.

The third, is Byron Pringle, a local kid who spent his college years playing at Kansas State. He showed some promise in training camp and the preseason before ultimately succumbing to injury. Again, this would be a shot in the dark to hope that Pringle could fulfill a meaningful role this season. He absolutely could, but in a year the Chiefs should be competing for a Super Bowl, I’d rather not rely on so many unproven Chiefs’ receivers. It’s also possible a UDFA shocks us all. It’s possible, but it doesn’t happen very often.

Considering all this, the Chiefs could use one more wide receiver to provide further reliability and security at a position marked by so many questions marks. There are several proven and affordable options on the free agent market that could be Chiefs’ receivers in short order. Each of these players has pros and cons, but they’d help stabilize the position at little cost.