The Kansas City Chiefs have their newest wide receiver. Just before Tuesday's trade deadline officially passed, the Chiefs acquired Josh Downs from the Indianapolis Colts.
Kansas City was rumored to be interested in a few different wide receivers entering the trade deadline. Downs was a persistent option that continued to be brought up. With not many needle movers truly available, Downs serves as a worthy gamble to help fix arguably the Chiefs' greatest roster weakness.
A former 2023 third-round selection of the Colts, Downs is currently in the final year of his rookie contract. It is a pending free agent that the Chiefs will be adding as a result. But given the uncertainty over the years at wide receiver, it should not be ruled out that Kansas City could view Downs as a potential long-term option. This newest pass catcher receives as clear a chance as anyone to boost his market and possibly give the Chiefs a leg up on retaining his services.
Rashee Rice's future with the Chiefs is anything but certain
Outside of Downs, the Chiefs will have one other pending unrestricted free agent at wide receiver entering the offseason. That would be Rashee Rice. For numerous reasons, it is difficult to predict what the future holds for Rice in the NFL. If certain off-field incidents had not occurred, perhaps the Chiefs would have already extended him by now.
Rice is also not anywhere near a complete wide receiver on the field. His route-running abilities are limited. He can barely create separation unless other options are completely covered elsewhere. And Kansas City sees the most success with Rice when throwing to him at or within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
Maybe the Chiefs still feel compelled to entertain another season with Rice. Yet it feels like Kansas City is distancing itself from that more and more each game, based on his usage being congruent with the early parts of his career.
Chiefs have few proven receivers to build around in 2027
Among other current names at wide receiver for the Chiefs, K.C. does not have much to truly bank on for 2027. Xavier Worthy has spun his tires all season long. He has a very specific skill set and has failed to produce. Most recently, against the New York Jets, he suffered a hamstring injury. It feels laughable to suggest the Chiefs will pick up the fifth-year option attached to Worthy as a former first-round pick.
Cyrus Allen and Jalen Royals will be in their second and third career seasons in 2027, respectively. They have not received many opportunities so far. And it is not going to be all that surprising if Kansas City continues that trend to round out this season, barring more injuries.
Andrew Armstrong is another who is currently on the active roster. Will he make it back there to kick off 2027? The Chiefs wanted to keep him after the preseason. They started him out on the practice squad. Like Allen and Royals, Armstrong has not seen many targets.
Nikko Remigio is a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason. Of course, he is more centralized to the kick and punt return game. Remigio has produced shaky results there more recently, anyway. But obviously, he does not offer any real value as a pass catcher going forward.
Tyquan Thornton is signed through 2027. He will be back next season unless a surprise cut occurs. Obviously, time will tell if Thornton is able to return to any game action late this season after suffering an ankle injury. Whether he plays again this season or not, Thornton can only elevate the Chiefs' wide receiver room by so much himself.
Josh Downs has a clear path to becoming Mahomes' go-to receiver
The pathway is evident for Downs. He already joins the Chiefs as their leading wide receiver, based on the yards he has with Indianapolis so far this year. Not many threats stand in the way of what Downs could possibly produce with Kansas City. Worthy and Rice have each dealt with hamstring injuries this season. Thornton's best-case scenario for a return could be late December.
Downs will be a name that should get ample opportunities to prove himself in Kansas City. He can move the chains. His ability to get open is more dependable than that of any other wide receiver on the Chiefs' depth chart. And given how comfortable Patrick Mahomes is in the short-to-intermediate areas, Downs' game can fit in perfectly. Drop issues are really the biggest item plaguing Downs this season.
Wide receiver remains a major need for the Chiefs entering 2027. If Downs gets comfortable early in K.C. and develops immediate chemistry with Mahomes, the quarterback would surely vouch for him to be back next year.
The question is, what will the Chiefs have to do to retain Downs? Kansas City will once again have to reshuffle the depth chart and make some cuts or restructuring to open up salary cap space. They are projected to be over the cap at the start of the offseason.
Spotrac projects Downs for a salary of $15.3 million per year on a four-year deal in free agency. He will have plenty of time to finish this season as the team's best wide receiver. If that notion comes to fruition, that may be too strong to let walk for free next year if you are Kansas City.
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