Emmanuel Sanders, Dez Bryant could help Chiefs in free agency
With the potential departure of a couple key contributors at wide receiver, the Kansas City Chiefs may need to look at some in free agency. Here are some players that may fit the bill.
The Kansas City Chiefs offense is absolutely stacked, at least for now. They have the best quarterback, the best tight end, the best corps of receivers, and the best play caller all rolled into one. It seems like this would be the point where I’d tell you we can move on to other positions of need. Unfortunately, even though this unit was good enough to pull out all the stops and win Super Bowl LIV, there are some impending departures that will hurt.
The first is Sammy Watkins. Watkins struggled to maintain consistency during the season, missing a handful of games due to injury. That wasn’t much of a surprise, as he’s struggled his entire career to play a full 16-game season. The real surprises have come in the playoffs.
In the NFL playoffs the last two seasons, Watkins has been a primary target for Patrick Mahomes. With all the focus on Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, Watkins has received favorable matchups on a consistent basis and he has exploited those. The problem still remains, with his impending cap hit in 2019, it’s unlikely the team can afford him. Without an extension and restructure, it’s probable that Watkins is either traded or cut.
The second is Demarcus Robinson. In similar fashion, albeit not as dramatically, Robinson has struggled with consistency throughout his career with the team. He has shown flashes, which will undoubtedly garner him a decent contract on the free agent market, but hasn’t shown the ability to be a consistent number two or even number three receiver. This will likely mean the end of his tenure in Kansas City, as his contract demands will be too much for his production.
With all that said, the team could conceivably draft a wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft. This is deemed to be one of the deepest drafts at wide receiver in recent memory, giving the team a number of options at the position. However, any rookie receiver will likely take time to develop. Andy Reid’s system is uniquely challenging, and it’s rare to see a receiver contribute substantially in their first year.
Luckily for the Kansas City Chiefs, there are a number of potential options in free agency. Let’s take a look at a few of the higher and lower end wide receivers that might be a good fit in Andy Reid‘s system.