Was Le’Veon Bell the KC Chiefs big in-season move?

The Chiefs already signed Le’Veon Bell during the season. Was that the only move we’ll see?

The NFL’s trade deadline is on Tuesday, November 3, which means there’s precious little time for the Kansas City Chiefs, or any other team, to seek out a deal that would help them down the stretch. At this point, however, it seems more likely that K.C. will stand still given the lack of rumors or, for that matter, any great needs on the team’s roster.

While this year is an odd one for teams overall, given the global pandemic and COVID-19 protocols in effect across the league, head coach Andy Reid stated yesterday he didn’t believe such hurdles would affect trade deadline activity too much.

"“It’s unique, but there’s been movement,” said Reid. “I don’t know what takes place in the next couple days, whether it’s here or anywhere else. There has been movement. I guess it’s somewhat unique just from a testing standpoint what you have to get done before the player can actually get on the field. But we’ll see how that goes in the next day here or so.”"

Reid’s quotes could have reflected some internal “movement” on the part of the Chiefs, but his comments seemed geared toward league-wide activity in general. At this point, the Chiefs haven’t been connected to any player on the trade block and there are numerous reasons why they’re likely to stand pat—from financial limitations from taking on big contracts from sellers to a roster without glaring weaknesses.

However, it’s important to note that the Chiefs already made their big in-season move when they convinced Le’Veon Bell to sign with them as a new free agent after his release from the New York Jets. There were a handful of teams in contention who could have given him more money (Miami Dolphins) or more playing time (Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots). Instead, Bell came to the Chiefs and bolstered a backfield that was already watching Clyde Edwards-Helaire emerge as a true lead back.

It’s entirely possible that general manager Brett Veach swings for a smaller deal to bring in some veteran help. Positions such as linebacker, backup tight end, or interior line are the most obvious places to upgrade, and the team has watched injuries hurt their depth at defensive end and cornerback. But the Chiefs have—knock on wood—remained relatively healthy at the season’s midpoint, and none of these roster concerns are glaring in any way.

At this point, the Chiefs are already well-positioned for the stretch run with the roster they have. They’ve also already made a luxury addition that will enable them to keep defenses frustrated well into the postseason. If the Chiefs remains silent at the trade deadline, just know they already turned in their work ahead of time.