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

Dez Bryant

Dez Bryant is somewhat of an enigma. He was a successful, big bodied athlete at receiver for the Cowboys for several years. It’s hard to say exactly what turned his tenure in Dallas sour, but there’s no doubt it did.

Shockingly, there weren’t a lot of suitors for Bryant following his departure from the Cowboys.  While he his skill set might have faded from his early years, it’s not ridiculous to expect he could be productive in most offenses. It took until midseason last year for any team to sign him, the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. Unfortunately, once he finally got his chance, he tore his Achilles tendon.

Even still, he’s a player the Chiefs should look at—when he gets healthy. In eight years with the Cowboys, Bryant played in 113 games and caught 531 passes for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns. That’s an average of 932 yards and 9 touchdowns per year for the majority of a decade

Now, his most recent season saw a decent drop in productivity. In 2017 he caught 69 passes for 838 yards and 6 touchdowns. So, he’s not the dominant force he used to be. However, he’s still a productive receiver who could give a boost to the back end of the current Chiefs’ receivers if he can return from the Achilles tear.

According to Pro Football Focus in 2017, Bryant graded “Above Average” to “Good.” A player like Bryant, even with diminished talent, could be a very productive target for the Chiefs. Given the recent lack of demand for Bryant, the Chiefs would be able to get him cheap. I think he’s the type of player who’d sign a one-year, incentive laden prove-it deal. The Chiefs are the type of offense that could help him out.

There are people who say Bryant couldn’t fit what the Chiefs’ receivers are expected to do. However, I’d be surprised if Reid couldn’t find something creative to do with Bryant. Assuming Bryant is rehabbing well, it could be a nice addition for the Chiefs.