Despite the Kansas City Chiefs being the last undefeated team in the league after seven weeks, the team is in need of some offensive weapons due to the massive amount of injuries that have plagued the receiver and running back rooms. That problem was attended to by Chiefs' GM Brett Veach early Wednesday morning when he traded for Tennessee Titans receiver Deandre Hopkins, but this season has proved it's better to be more prepared in case of further injuries.
For weeks, everybody in Chiefs Kingdom has been screaming for the Chiefs to trade for a receiver after losing Rashee Rice and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown for the season before losing Juju Smith-Schuster this past week with a hamstring injury. Now the Chiefs' receiver room is going to have to get Hopkins up to speed quickly while the rest of the core is essentially just a rookie speedster (Xavier Worthy), a veteran in Mecole Hardman, a solid role player in Justin Watson, and the cardio-machine Skyy Moore.
That's why Veach should be doing more than just calling teams with poor win-loss records. He should be bringing in multiple free agents who are still hoping for a comeback like Smith-Schuster had against New Orleans just two games ago. Now's the perfect time for Veach to double-dip and try to bring a couple of new faces to the receiver room so that Mahomes can have the best chance possible to bring Kansas City to the NFL's first-ever three-peat.
Who could bring a realistic pulse to a dying wide receiver room? And who might be the best shot at staying healthy despite jumping off the couch and into a Chiefs uniform? Let's survey the free agent market.
Realistic free agent WRs for the Chiefs to consider
Hunter Renfrow
The former Las Vegas Raider is a slot merchant who spent five years going up against Kansas City, learning what makes them tick on both sides of the ball. His breakout season in 2021 may seem like forever ago but the Chiefs could use whatever might be left of that 1,038-yard season out of the former fifth-round pick out of Clemson.
Renfrow is about to turn 29 and has been looking for a team since being let go by Vegas this past offseason, so he's not nearly as unprepared as some other names on the free agency list. With that said, if Veach were to bring in Renfrow and get him a playbook within a few days, he might provide some advantage against his former team in Week 8.
Renfrow is also more than just a shifty receiver who slides perfectly in the slot—something the Chiefs like to utilize on every drive. Renfrow would also come in and instantly be one of the best route runners that Mahomes has ever thrown to. On top of all that, Renfrow has reliable hands, with only two drops on 87 targets since 2021.
Richie James
Much like we've seen so far this year (and in years past), it's all about comfort with Andy Reid, which is why Kansas City constantly keeps bringing back or extending players like Mecole Hardman, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Reid does so because he loves the fact that he may not have to teach his famously complex offensive playbook while also trying to coach a team to their fourth Super Bowl victory in six seasons.
That's what makes the former New York Giant a great pick out of the free agency pool. James originally signed with the Chiefs in April of 2023 before an MCL injury in Week 2 kept him out of eight games. While the team let him leave in free agency, now could be the time to give him a call. After he came back in 2023, he finished the season with 10 catches for 114 yards—with half of his receptions ending in first downs.
James is only two years removed from his best season which saw him catch 57 of 70 targets for 569 yards and four touchdowns in a Giants uniform. He also just turned 29 years old and can be utilized on special teams once again before being brought in to help the demoralized and depleted receiver core.
Michael Thomas
This might be one of the more improbable free agents to bring in because of his age (31-going-on-32), injury history, and lack of familiarity with the team. However, Michael Thomas would come in as one of the largest receivers in a Chiefs uniform at 6'3", 212 lbs. Those 50-50 balls that Mahomes would love to throw to Smith-Schuster or even a few of his bigger tight ends could go to Thomas over the middle or up the sideline, preserving some of the other Chiefs for the playoffs.
Unlike the other free agents on this list, Thomas' best days are quite a few years behind him with his last full season coming in 2019 when he won Offensive Player of the Year. That year he caught 149 balls for 1,725 yards and 9 touchdowns before injuries would detour his Hall of Fame trajectory from continuing down the same road.
Since then he's played just 20 games in four seasons, catching 95 passes for just over 1,050 yards. But Thomas is still looking for a team after eight years in New Orleans. If anybody can find a fit for an aging player looking for a solid one-year, "show me" deal it's Andy Reid.
Other free agent WRs worth mentioning
Isaiah McKenzie
The Chiefs don't need another short speedster in the receiver room considering that's pretty much all they have left, but McKenzie is ready to play and has flashed glimpses of impactful talent—especially in Buffalo—that could be used in Reid's system.
Russell Gage
The former Atlanta Falcon had consecutive seasons (2020, '21) with 770+ receiving yards and is only 28 years old. Gage has a 50% success rate on contested catches in his career, which would be helpful for Mahomes, but he also has proven he can play QB once in a while if Reid wants to throw in a trick play or two for him.
Chase Claypool
I know, I know. Claypool has been a cancer on every team he's been on. Luckily, Reid has been known to rehabilitate bad behavior and cocky attitudes and he's worked wonders for maligned talents in years past. Claypool is amazingly only 26 years old. He's also 6'4" and had his two best seasons when he was positioned right next to Smith-Schuster on the field, so a reunion between the two could bring out the best in the former Notre Dame superstar.