Bryan Edwards is a nice play for 2023 for KC Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are giving themselves a nice long look at Bryan Edwards on the practice squad with 2023 squarely in view.

Earlier this week, the Kansas City Chiefs made a couple of moves to bolster the practice squad with experienced players on offense. The Chiefs not only added veteran running back Melvin Gordon from the Denver Broncos, but they also added former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards as well.

The signing of Edwards is a nice grab of a still-young receiver who was once a third-round draft pick not too long ago. The Raiders selected him out of South Carolina in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they even watched him rack up modest production in year two to the tune of 34 catches, 571 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

From there, however, Edwards’ trajectory took a much different route when a new regime decided to rid themselves of yet another draft pick of Mike Mayock’s. The Raiders sent Edwards and a future 7th-round pick in ’23 in exchange for a fifth-round choice in the same draft in a deal last May. Just like that, Edwards had a new offense to learn and new coaches to impress.

The fact that Edwards’ second NFL stint didn’t last longer than it did (a few months) casts a shadow on any expectations that Chiefs fans should have for the move. However, his location on the practice squad should have done that already. After all, even diehard fans have a difficult time naming more than a player or three on a team’s practice squad at any given moment.

So what should the Chiefs hope for here? Edwards was part of a wholesale cleanup of the wideout position in Vegas, one that hung onto Hunter Renfrow and threw out the rest. The blockbuster trade for Davante Adams was the cornerstone move, but the list also included signings like Mack Hollins and Demarcus Robinson. Just like that, Edwards was gone.

For the Chiefs, however, it’s important to remember that some jobs at wideout will be wide-open in 2023. JuJu Smith-Schuster will be a free agent. Mecole Hardman will too, as will Justin Watson. Marquez Valdes-Scantling might be around if the Chiefs decide to pay him next year but that’s not a clear answer at this point. If he goes, that leaves Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore.

Together with Travis Kelce, Toney and Moore are a nice duo to build upon, but the Chiefs would of course need several more players to compete for roster spots. That’s what makes a big target like Bryan Edwards such a nice prospect to bring in. He’s also showed moderate production in the pros and yet it feels safe to say that his stock should go higher with Andy Reid as his coach and Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback.

For the Chiefs, these next few weeks will give them a headstart in terms of evaluating Bryan Edward. If they like what they see they down the stretch, we could see him offered a reserve/futures deal for the following offseason. It’s in that stretch of time that Edwards could make his biggest difference for the Chiefs.