Richie James is going to be a helpful piece on both offense and special teams for the Chiefs.
As the Kansas City Chiefs head into the 2023 NFL Draft in just a couple of weeks, they are looking more and more solid at every position on the roster. That now includes wide receiver where the team has recently signed former New York Giants wideout Richie James in an effort to round out the options for Patrick Mahomes in 2023.
The Chiefs reportedly signed James to a contract on Friday, per NFL reporter Mike Garafolo, although terms were not yet released as of press time.
James is a slight, 27-year-old receiver who took advantage of a banged-up receiver room for the Giants last season on his way to setting career highs in pretty much every category. In Brian Daboll’s first year as head coach, and under former Chiefs assistant Mike Kafka, who was his offensive coordinator, James caught 57 passes for 569 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.
Originally a seventh-round choice of the San Francisco 49ers, James slowly climbed the depth chart in the Bay Area only to miss his fourth and final season with the Niners with a knee injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2021 season. Last year he caught on with the Giants and became a reliable outlet for Daniel Jones with an 81.4% catch rate, albeit on shorter routes (with a scant 10.0 yards/catch average).
For the Chiefs, James should occupy the sort of role that Mecole Hardman would have provided as a quick target with return capabilities as well—a player who has handled both kick and punt return duties in years passed, although he was only in on punt returns for the Giants in ’22.
The Chiefs should still feel comfortable making additions at the position given the losses of Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, but the addition of James rounds out the talent pool a bit more heading into the draft with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, and Kadarius Toney also in house.