K.C. Chiefs: Identifying the best remaining free agents on the market

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 25: Alejandro Villanueva #78 of the Pittsburgh Steelers plays against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 25: Alejandro Villanueva #78 of the Pittsburgh Steelers plays against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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THOUSAND OAKS, CA – AUGUST 19: Wide receiver Josh Reynolds #11 of the Los Angeles Rams catches a pass during training camp on August 19, 2020 at the practice facility at in Thousand Oaks, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
THOUSAND OAKS, CA – AUGUST 19: Wide receiver Josh Reynolds #11 of the Los Angeles Rams catches a pass during training camp on August 19, 2020 at the practice facility at in Thousand Oaks, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Wide Receivers

Josh Reynolds

While Josh Reynolds may not be the big name like some other free agent wide receivers this offseason, I believe he would be a perfect addition to the Chiefs’ arsenal of weapons on offense. While the Chiefs have several smaller, faster receivers and a reliable underneath target in Travis Kelce, they are lacking a bigger target on the outside. Reynolds’ lanky 6-foot-3 frame with long arms and big hands would give Patrick Mahomes that big outside target that K.C. has been lacking.

Reynolds isn’t as fast as guys like Tyreek Hill or Mecole Hardman, but his long strides do allow him to get behind defenders and his ability to high point balls make him an ideal deep threat for a quarterback like Mahomes. However, those skills don’t limit him to just being a deep threat. Reynolds’ size and ability to make contested catches also would make him a solid red zone target, someone that could be targeted on third downs. Reynolds would probably see exclusively single coverage in K.C.’s offense, and I really believe Mahomes could take advantage of his skill set much better than Jared Goff ever could. Plus he’s still young and shouldn’t cost that much in an already down year for wideout contracts.

T.Y. Hilton

While I don’t love the idea of adding T.Y. Hilton as much as I do Reynolds, it would be hard to argue that the former Indianapolis Colt wouldn’t be a major upgrade to the #2 wideout spot over what K.C. currently has on the roster. Hilton was banged up last season, which both excuses his drop in production and brings into question if K.C. could trust that he’ll stay heathy for them. He also hasn’t seen the most amazing and consistent quarterback play the past couple of seasons. Obviously, joining a team with Mahomes would remedy that.

Hilton started to look more like his old self over the final six games of last season as he and Phillip Rivers started to gel a little bit. Over those final six games he averaged 72.5 yards per game and scored five touchdowns. That player would be a huge upgrade to the Chiefs #2 wideout spot. While Hilton doesn’t add a new dimension to K.C.’s offense like Reynolds does, he would be a proven veteran who would be a reliable weapon for Mahomes as long as he could stay healthy. If the Chiefs could get Hilton on a team-friendly deal it would be a great addition.

Fall Back Option: Sammy Watkins

While it wouldn’t be exciting, the Chiefs could always bring Sammy Watkins back for one more year on a team-friendly deal. Watkins knows the offense already and has proven he can make plays when he’s healthy, but that’s been an issue. I know Chiefs fans wouldn’t be excited about a Watkins return, but if the other players on this list are off the board, Watkins has more upside than any of the other players available.

Next up, let’s look at a couple of offensive linemen.