NFL trade deadline ideas for the Kansas City Chiefs
By Matt Conner
Takkarist McKinley
Takk McKinley is set to be a free agent after this season, and it’s not as if he’s a productive pass rusher for the Atlanta Falcons at this point. At this point, the Falcons would likely welcome any future asset in exchange for McKinley, who is obviously out the door next offseason. That puts other teams in an interesting position to take a flyer on a former first round pick.
McKinley looked solid as a rotational pass rusher in his first two seasons for Dan Quinn’s defense with 6 and 7 sacks during his freshman and sophomore seasons in the NFL. He might not have been the dominant disruptive force envisioned by Atlanta when taking him in the first round in 2017, but the team’s defense has been among the NFL’s worst since his arrival. Chicken or egg?
The Chiefs have enjoyed success along the defensive front with Brendan Daly as positional coach with such reclamation projects already. Emmanuel Ogbah was a solid contributor for the Chiefs last season before he was injured, and Taco Charlton is proving the same again in 2020. The latter was a former first round bust hoping to show he could excel in the right defense, and he’s proving that now. Even Mike Danna was an instant contributor as well as a rookie fifth round pick.
Why would the Chiefs trade for McKinley? The team has been a bit thin along the defensive line due to injuries in recent weeks. Depending on everyone to be healthy at the perfect time is a bit optimistic. In the wake of injuries to Danna, Okafor, Charlton and others, it might help to have another motivated force waiting in the wings.
Proposed deal: 2022 5th round pick for McKinley