The National Football League has set a deadline of the end of October as the final day before the season's end that teams can execute trades between one franchise and another. That means that every team is defining itself in the days before as either sellers or buyers. For the Kansas City Chiefs, however, rumors persist that neither label applies.
As it turns out, when a team is 6-1 in its first seven games and already in sole possession of the top seed, there's no real need to panic for more talent. Nor is there a need to sell any of its depth. Instead, the Chiefs are reportedly ready to "stand pat" with a handful of other franchises before the NFL trade deadline.
The Athletic hears that the Kansas City Chiefs aren't planning to be active before the NFL's trade deadline.
According to reporter Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Chiefs are among a handful of teams not looking to do anything either way—including the L.A. Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Atlanta Falcons.
The Chiefs have been both inactive and active in past years depending on the opportunity in the moment more than anything else. That's likely true again this year. It does no good for the Chiefs to telegraph any real interest in the trade market, so the report should be taken with a grain of salt, but standing pat would reflect their position as Super Bowl champs with a young team and a longing to retain all future draft assets.
Last year, the Chiefs traded a future third-round pick along with a sixth-round choice to the New York Giants for wide receiver Kadarius Toney. Before that, general manager Brett Veach traded for pass rusher Melvin Ingram.
This year, the Chiefs could have potential interest in adding depth or talent at a number of positions. Wide receiver is a favorite spot for many fans and analysts in terms of Chiefs projections. Running back lacks depth in case of injury. Defensive tackle has been thin all season, and linebacker could become that way after Nick Bolton's wrist injury.
That said, the Chiefs are still winning in spite of these "concerns" and every team in the NFL has issues at one position or another. The Chiefs also just added wide receiver Mecole Hardman in a trade last week and pass rusher Charles Omenihu returned from suspension, so it feels as if the team has already made some additions.
Still, nothing should be taken as "certain" at a time with so much smoke. We won't know one way or the other until the league's deadline passes on October 31 at 3:00 p.m. C.T.