Every Kansas City Chiefs midseason trade made by Brett Veach
By Jacob Milham
The NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching and fans are clamoring to see what reinforcements the Kansas City Chiefs acquire before the season's second half. The Chiefs remain on top of the AFC West, but an embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos shows that the reigning Super Bowl champions are, in fact, mortal.
The Chiefs still have some positions they could strengthen via trade this season. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has not been too shy about a midseason move in recent years. Will he be the same this season? The Chiefs already traded for Mecole Hardman, reuniting Patrick Mahomes with a deep threat and shoring up the punt return game in the process. The Chiefs field a top-five offense and, at least, a top-10 defense to boot this season. The Chiefs could likely not make another move at the deadline and would be fine down the stretch.
But why should they take that chance?
Whether it be a major move or a cap-relief move, Veach is no stranger to making a midseason trade. Let's look at the four such trades he has made as general manager and glean what we can from the respective trend.
1. The LDT trade (2011)
Chiefs receive: TE Daniel Brown
New York Jets receive: OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
This trade was a minor move, but it still hurt to see Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff go. A Super Bowl champion with the team in 2019, Duvernay-Tardiff became an NFL fan favorite during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was the first NFL player to opt out of the 2020 season and worked at a long-term healthcare facility in Quebec while out. But when he came back, Trey Smith had replaced him as the team's starting right guard.
LDT's last game in a Chiefs uniform was that aforementioned Super Bowl. He was a healthy scratch for all seven games of the 2021 season before the Chiefs traded him to New York. He played in eight games for New York that season, with seven starts.
Daniel Brown never suited up for the Chiefs and was waived 18 days after the trade. The move benefited the Jets on the field but served as cap relief for the Chiefs. Both players were pending free agents after the season, but shedding LDT's salary helped Veach make another trade ahead of the 2021 deadline.