Chiefs offensive depth could help Washington at wide receiver

Washington’s lack of offensive depth is startling but the Chiefs could help them out.

The Washington, er, football franchise has some major needs. In Ron Rivera‘s first year as the team’s head coach, it’s not as if anyone is expecting the team formerly known as the Redskins to compete for a playoff spot. That said, at this point, they’d have a hard time even fielding a pro-level offense.

Before Tuesday’s news that promising young wide receiver Kelvin Harmon was lost for the season due to an ACL injury, Washington already had the worst wide receiving corps in the National Football League. Terry McLaurin in the lone wide receiver worthy of any focus from a defensive coordinator’s viewpoint and the only incoming player worth mentioning is Antonio Gandy-Golden, a rookie from Liberty taken in the fourth round.

McLaurin had a nice rookie season last year despite the team’s mediocre quarterback play. He ended the season with 58 catches for 919 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He can certainly build on that in his second season but he’ll need help from his teammates to deflect some of the attention thrown his way by opposing secondaries.

Unfortunately the cupboard behind McLaurin is bare. Trey Quinn, last year’s seventh round pick, is a potential starter as is Steven Sims. Gandy-Golden will have every opportunity to climb the depth chart, but rookie expectations should be held in check. It’s possible that a free agent signing would ease the burden, but perhaps the trade route would also help Washington in the short-term as well as the long-term view.

Enter the Chiefs, who have an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball. Tyreek Hill is a four-time Pro Bowl receiver in four NFL seasons. Travis Kelce is the NFL’s best tight end, and the Chiefs just added a first-round fit in Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the backfield. Of course, they also have former top 10 pick Sammy Watkins, speedy sophomore Mecole Hardman, and an underrated target in Demarcus Robinson at receiver as well.

The Chiefs will undoubtedly get the most out of these pieces thanks to their talent and the creative schemes drawn up by Andy Reid and his coaching staff. However, there’s little room here on the roster for a promising young player to rise up and steal any reps away from the men above him. It’s possible that the Chiefs might have some young players they really like without an obvious place to play them. Meanwhile, Washington is hungry for any player on whom they can count for 2020 and beyond.

Washington is unlikely to be interested in a player like Watkins or even Robinson because both are due to be free agents once again in 2021. The Chiefs, on the flip side, would never deal Hill or Hardman, especially since they will be the team’s top two receivers for the next couple years. But beyond these players, the Chiefs have some interesting names who could show strong during training camp and earn a potential trade to a team with more opportunities to offer.

Consider the likes of Byron Pringle, a player who looked like he was ready to make an impact last season if not for an injury. The former undrafted free agent has looked great in the preseason and is a core special teams player as well. This sort of player could be a valuable addition for a team like Washington without having to break the bank. J

There are others on the Chiefs roster as well who could blossom in an environment with more open opportunities at hand. Jody Fortson is a big target at 6’6″ and 23 lbs. who played tight end in college. His hands are impressive and now that he’s had a year at the pro level, he might be ready to make the leap. Gehrig Dieter runs good routes, comes with championship experience, and has plenty of special teams experience. The Chiefs also have undrafted rookies like Kalija Lipscomb, Maurice Ffrench, and Cody White who all have the talent to stand out this summer.

None of these players would draw any significant assets in return for the Chiefs, but if they’re going to have to make some tough calls before active rosters are due and potentially lose these players for nothing, it makes sense for the Chiefs to check in with a team that has such glaring needs. The Chiefs simply cannot keep everyone heading into the regular season (unless the league significantly increases the number of roster slots), and it’d be nice to see one of these young players get a real chance to show what he can do.