KC Chiefs: Why Josh Gordon would be an ideal grab for Brett Veach

Fit with the Chiefs

While Gordon isn’t the WR1 he was when he was Cleveland anymore, the reality is that the Chiefs don’t need him to be. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce proved for the 100th time on Sunday that they are already the most dangerous combo in the game when it comes to offensive weapons, and teams have a difficult enough time trying to account for both of them. There’s zero lifting for any incoming player to do on the Chiefs, and even talented players have a hard time earning targets.

That said, the Chiefs were already interested in replacing Sammy Watkins in free agency this year with a physical receiver and were unable to get Josh Reynolds or T.Y. Hilton or JuJu Smith-Schuster to sign with the team this spring. The Chiefs drafted Cornell Powell, but he’s going to need far more time (and even then it might not work out), which means the perceived roster concern is still there (if Brett Veach still feels that way).

Gordon’s physical profile is ideal for the sort of big X receiver role that Watkins played on offense. Given the growth for Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the improvement of the offensive line, a receiver like this could also find himself open a lot more in the end zone and make life easier in general for the team’s offensive pillars. Remember that the best defenses in football have been able, at times, to slow or even stop the likes of Kelce or Hill, and in those instances, the Chiefs were that much better for having Watkins around (when healthy).

Even more, Gordon would be able to play for a team headed for the postseason for the first time in his career without feeling the pressures of carrying them there. (Gordon was suspended during New England’s postseason run in 2018 and again for Seattle in 2019.) The Chiefs have the ideal locker room to handle any perceived drama or character concerns, and Andy Reid is known for being the sort of coach to get the most out of a “troubled” player.

All of this is, of course, predicated on Gordon being healthy and ready and sober. And there’s a very real chance, given his track record, that the team might not be able to depend on him to be around all that long. But if there’s any chance that Gordon has his act together, he could be the ideal acquisition for Veach. He’s at a position they’ve already reached for and he’s not going to be expensive at all. The issues are there, but the shelves aren’t exactly stocked at this point in the year anyway.

If the planets are aligned correctly, Josh Gordon could be a great pickup for the Chiefs.