How a James Washington trade could work for KC Chiefs

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 03: James Washington #13 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks on before the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 03: James Washington #13 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks on before the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

James Washington is tired of being buried on the depth chart at wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Former NFL wideout Dez Bryant thinks he knows the ideal trade partner. Shortly after Washington reportedly asked the Steelers to find a new home for him, Bryant pointed to the K.C. Chiefs as the trade partner he’d love to see.

On Friday, rumors about Washington’s frustrations came out as the Steelers pecking order on offense was made clear once again in training camp. The team has invested quite a bit at the position in recent years, including a second-round pick on Washington in the 2018 NFL Draft as an exciting physical receiver out of Oklahoma State.

What’s upsetting to Washington is that the team’s other investments have been successful, tool, which means little playing time so far for Washington in the team’s passing attack. Chase Claypool was a second round pick in 2020, and Diontae Johnson was a third round pick in 2019. Both have crowded out Washington along with the presence of 2017’s big investment in JuJu Smith-Schuster.

This offseason, Washington had reason for hope since Smith-Schuster was hitting free agency, but then the wideout decided to spurn the advances of the Chiefs and other interested teams (including the Baltimore Ravens) for the sake of returning to Pittsburgh. Just like that, the depth chart was set once again and Washington was likely going to relegated to fourth in targets for another year.

As Washington approaches a contract here, he knows that (playing) time is money, so a trade could help open up wallets next offseason if Washington is able to position himself in a less competitive environment. Or maybe what he needs is a prolific offense with enough targets to share the wealth. That’s what Bryant is likely envisioning by bringing up the Chiefs.

Of course, it would be an interesting twist for the Chiefs to trade for a wide receiver from the Steelers when they already pursued Smith-Schuster in such a public way.

To this point, the Chiefs haven’t bounced back from the failed attempts to lure in a free agent receiver with an alternate move, unless someone wants to count a sixth round pick of Cornell Powell from Clemson. Whether or not the Chiefs cooled on the idea of a larger import is unknown but it’s hard to believe the Chiefs are completely disinterested in some sort of an upgrade.

The question, then, is whether Washington is the right guy for the job. Washington has bulk at 210-215 lbs. or so but he’s also just under 6’0″ tall, which makes him built like a safety or running back. It’s an intriguing build for a prospect who entered the NFL with plenty of production in the Big 12. Unfortunately, his catch rate at the pro level has not been good. Is that a product of poor QB play? Are there issues with his hands?

Any interest on the Chiefs part will likely stem from how they viewed him on their 2018 draft boards, which was back when Brett Veach was first settling into the job. If so, the Chiefs do have a position of strength to deal from along with potential draft assets to consider for a deal like Washington.

One scenario could simply match the recent trade of Anthony Miller to the Houston Texans for a 5th round pick (and a returning 7th round selection). Basically a day three pick swap could be enough to get the job done, unless the Steelers are bullish when trading with a fellow AFC contender.

Another scenario that could be more interesting (but beneficial to the Steelers at present) is to trade one of the team’s veterans along the offensive line. It’s likely that Andrew Wylie or Laurent Duvernay-Tardif could slide into a starting role for a Pittsburgh o-line that has suffered offseason losses in multiple ways. Would they be interested in Nick Allegretti? It’s hard to say, but if Kevin Colbert liked someone on the Chiefs line, the team has enough depth to part with someone and supplant another position in response.

Schedule