6 important reasons why the Chiefs must trade for a wide receiver immediately

The Kansas City Chiefs got a quality win on Sunday when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 28-18. The Chiefs are now 6-0 and are the NFL's lone remaining unbeaten team. While you would think that would mean everything is perfect for the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions, the truth is that this game also exposed KC's only glaring weakness.

The Chiefs won this game without any starting-caliber wide receivers. They may have been able to pull that off today—they may even be good enough to pull off getting the top seed in the AFC like this—but if they want to make a serious run at a three-peat, Brett Veach needs to get on the phone today and get a deal done.

The NFL trade deadline is still a couple of weeks away, but the Chiefs need to act now and here are six reasons why.

1. Smith-Schuster's injury exposed the Chiefs lack of WR depth

The Chiefs entered this game with their two best wide receivers, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Rashee Rice, on IR. JuJu Smith-Schuster was coming off an amazing game against the New Orleans Saints before the bye, but he popped up on the injury report late in the week leading up to this game against the 49ers. Then early in the first quarter JuJu slipped running a route and was out the rest of the game.

Perhaps Smith-Schuster will bounce back quickly and be ready to play next week, but that doesn't change the fact that his injury in this game exposed how poor their depth at the position is. With Smith-Schuster's extensive injury history, he isn't a reliable top receiver. Regardless of whether he misses more time, the Chiefs need to trade for another reliable starting caliber wideout. A big reason why is reason number two.

2. The low ceiling of the Chiefs' other WR options

Mecole Hardman deserved a game ball for his performance against the 49ers, but despite this good showing, we all know that Hardman is a role player and not a starting wide receiver. Guys like Hardman, Justin Watson, and even first-round rookie speedster Xavier Worthy can all play snaps for the Chiefs and make contributions, but they aren't reliable enough to lean on.

Hardman had three total touches on offense and two of them were handoffs. Worthy has flashed big-play upside, but even after the bye in Week 6, he doesn't look ready to be a high-volume guy. That doesn't mean he can't develop into one eventually, but right now he's a field stretcher to whom the Chiefs can give some additional gadget touches. Watson is a fine WR4, but that's all he is.

It's probably also worth mentioning what every Chiefs fan on Earth already knows, Skyy Moore stinks. The former second-round pick doesn't have any business getting snaps of offense, let alone targets. This isn't a unit that can produce enough to run Andy Reid's pass-heavy offense. Even if KC takes my advice and transforms into a run-heavy offense, the Chiefs still need to make a meaningful addition to this receiver group.

3. Teams will continue to double Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce had another quiet day on Sunday, catching 4 passes for just 17 yards. While his critics will say this is because he is in decline, the truth is that opposing defenses can focus their coverage on containing Kelce because he's the only reliable target that Patrick Mahomes has. While Kelce still has some fight left in him, Mahomes can't force the ball his way when defenses are bracketing him constantly.

Mahomes did take advantage of the heavy influence Kelce had against the 49ers and got the ball to Noah Gray, who ended up being Kansas City's leading receiver with 4 catches and 66 yards. While Gray deserves credit for making those catches, the gravity of Kelce pulling defenders toward him has a ton to do with that line.

If Veach would trade for another starting-caliber receiver, less attention would go to Kelce which would allow Mahomes' favorite target some breathing room to make plays of his own down the stretch.

4. The Chiefs two top WR trade targets are both on teams that got clobbered Sunday

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the 3 most likely wide receiver targets for Brett Veach and the Chiefs. Since then, one of them (Amari Cooper) was traded to the Buffalo Bills. That means one of just a handful of true contenders in the AFC got stronger (Cooper scored a touchdown in his Bills debut). However, two of those likely targets are still available and both of their teams got destroyed on Sunday. That should shift them into a seller's mode as the trade deadline approaches.

Diontae Johnson is probably the best realistic option for the Chiefs. (I don't believe a Tyreek Hill return is realistic.) The Carolina Panthers are now 1-6 and have been outscored by 133 points through seven games. Johnson is on an expiring deal and is one of the most desirable trade options that the Panthers have. This is where Brett Veach should start.

If the Carolina Panthers won't deal Johnson, or the price is too high, the next call Veach makes should be to the New York Giants about Darius Slayton. The Giants got dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles 28-3 on Sunday and are now 2-5 on the season. They also benched quarterback Daniel Jones late in the game and it seems like their season is toast.

For the long term, the Giants have Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson to build their receiver game around going forward, but Slayton has been a reliable veteran target for them. He has put up over 700 yards in four of his five seasons and the 25 receptions for 312 yards he has put up this season while competing with Nabers and Robinson would lead the Chiefs right now.

5. Other teams may beat the Chiefs to the best WRs left

If Brett Veach decides to wait right up to the deadline in search of the perfect deal, there may not be anyone worth trading for left. The Chiefs aren't the only team that may be in the market for another wideout. You don't have to look any further than the Chiefs' opponent from Week 7, the 49ers, to find a team that may want to make an addition. Brandon Aiyuk left the game with what is feared to be an ACL injury and Deebo Samuel has a long list of injury issues as well. If they want to turn their season around, they may be in the market for a receiver.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are two other teams that could be shopping for a wide receiver before the deadline. Amari Cooper and Davante Adams have already been dealt and the remaining options may not be on the market much longer. The bottom line is that the Chiefs can't sit around on their hands if they want to fix the one glaring weakness on this team. Not fixing this issue would be a huge mistake because...

6. The rest of the Chiefs roster is ready to win a Super Bowl

The Chiefs defense has been sensational again this season. Steve Spagnuolo's unit has faced some tough competition and has come away as the most dominant unit in the game each time. You combine a defense like that with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes and an offensive coach like Andy Reid and you have a chance.

The strengths don't stop there though. The Chiefs' run game has looked really good as well. The thought of Andy Reid having both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco for the playoffs, running behind a great interior offensive line, is really exciting. When you factor in a really good special teams unit as well, this team is ready to three-peat if they can keep an average passing attack.

I understand that the Chiefs' offensive tackles haven't been great, but I'd argue they aren't any worse than they were last year. You can get by with average tackle play with a good quarterback (check) and receivers that get open (nope). The Chiefs aren't going to find a noticeable upgrade at tackle in a trade, but they can find a receiver and Brett Veach needs to act while that is still the case.

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Those are the six reasons the Chiefs have to trade for a wide receiver as soon as possible. This team has proven they can get the job done, but the passing game is just too limited right now for anyone to feel safe going forward. So what do you think? Will the Chiefs make a move? Do you agree that Johnson and Slayton are the two most likely targets? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below.