With the NFL trade deadline less than 72 hours away, it’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs need reinforcements at one key position: wide receiver.
Big names like Garrett Wilson, Brian Thomas Jr., and George Pickens have been discussed as potential targets for the Chiefs, but there’s a good chance in each instance that the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, or Dallas Cowboys either decide to keep them instead of making a move or demand a price beyond what Kansas City is willing to pay.
Why the Chiefs should trade for two wide receivers
Either Josh Downs or Jerry Jeudy seems to be among the most likely options to come to Kansas City at the deadline, but I’d love to see the Chiefs make a second deal for another depth piece at receiver as well—someone like Calvin Ridley, Hollywood Brown, or Keenan Allen.
In isolation, a move for just Jeudy or Downs might not seem like enough, and a standalone deal for Brown, Ridley or Allen would be underwhelming, but adding two of them together is a totally different story.
One wide receiver might not move the needle, but two could raise the bar.
Pick the two names from each group that you like most: either Downs or Jeudy, and one of Ridley, Allen or Brown. Any combination would be a big upgrade to Kansas City’s wide receiver room as a whole and add much-needed depth.
Downs or Jeudy would likely fetch a third- or fourth-round pick in return, but Ridley, Brown and Allen could all be available on the cheap for a Day 3 pick or maybe even a pick swap, a price I think Kansas City should be willing to pay.
The Chiefs have two thirds and two fourths in next year’s draft, as well as a pick in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds, so they have the draft capital to make two moves work.
Two trades could dramatically improve the Chiefs' receiver depth
For me, bringing in two pass catchers would raise the floor at receiver dramatically. It would push Andrew Armstrong (2 catches, 16 yards) and Justin Watson (1 catch, 7 yards) back down to the practice squad, and it would make the Chiefs less reliant on Jalen Royals as well.
Sure, Ridley, Brown and Allen all have their limitations, and all are at the back end of their careers. But each of them is an NFL-caliber receiver who we have seen perform at this level. That’s more than can be said about Royals and Armstrong, and all three are better players right now than Watson is.
Allen has 36 catches, 325 yards and a touchdown this year and would be Kansas City’s leading wide receiver right now. I would much rather have Ridley or Brown on the field instead of Armstrong or Watson.
It might not be likely, but making a move for both a mid- and low-tier wide receiver might actually be the best path forward for Kansas City. I’m open to anything that gives Patrick Mahomes more and better targets to throw to, and a Downs-Brown or Jeudy-Ridley double deal would do just that.
It might not give the Chiefs a stacked wide receiver room, but it would at least help fill it with more viable targets.
The Chiefs might not be able to land a true WR1 in Pickens, Thomas Jr. or Wilson, but maybe by adding Downs and Brown or Jeudy and Ridley to go alongside Rashee Rice, they might be able to recreate one.
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