Hunter Renfrow should be Chiefs' next buy-low attempt at receiver

For now, Hunter Renfrow in on the trade block.

If that sounds amusing, it should be, but you can't blame the Las Vegas Raiders for (still) trying to get something from an asset if they can—even if you know well in advance that no NFL team is likely going to jump on the opportunity.

The Raiders already tried this game once around the league before the NFL's trade deadline last November and no one bit. Renfrow ended up staying on the Raiders' roster down the stretch and even they decided to shelve him for the final four games of the season as a healthy scratch in some games and an unused component in others.

No one should mistake it for a major move, but Hunter Renfrow could make for a nice buy-low project for the Chiefs.

So far this likely all sounds rather uninspiring, which should lead some readers to wonder why we're even bringing up Renfrow's name in the first place. But if you know the Kansas City Chiefs, you'll recognize a certain way of doing business at different positions and it just so happens that Renfrow fits the bill for what general manager Brett Veach seems to like for at least one roster spot.

Every year, Veach has a habit of adding a smaller slot receiver who can also provide some heavy lifting on special teams as a returner. Last year, the Chiefs signed Richie James away from the New York Giants after a breakout campaign. When he was injured in-season, the Chiefs traded for a familiar face in Mecole Hardman in a small deal with the New York Jets. In prior offseasons, names like Antonio Callaway and Darrius Shepherd were also given chances.

With Hardman and James ready to hit free agency again, the Chiefs might find themselves looking for help at both returner and receiver. Skyy Moore could be a contestant for such a role, but the Chiefs would do well to add one or even two more options to the mix—and here's where the bid for Renfrow might make sense.

NFL reporter Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Beacon-Journal recently wrote that the Raiders are expected to release Renfrow outright if/when the trade attempts come to an end. That should make him available, and it feels like a safe assumption that Renfrow might want to jump to the top of the AFC West if given a chance.

If so, Renfrow is the sort of buy-low opportunity that could help both sides (and couldn't hurt anyone). Renfrow will undoubtedly be forced to settle for a veteran minimum contract for a single season after coming away with only 25 catches for 255 yards in 2023—and 585 yards combined over the last two seasons.

On the flip side, Renfrow's body of work includes a breakout Pro Bowl effort in 2021 in which he caught 103 of 128 targets for 1,038 yards. If anything, Renfrow is like a more proven Richie James, and given that he's still only 28 years old, it makes sense to believe he'd have something left in the tires in the right role.

Yes, the Chiefs need bigger moves at the wide receiver position to restock the talent there, but they'll also go bargain shopping alongside other expected moves like investing major draft assets and/or signing a big-ticket wideout. Renfrow wouldn't move the meter much but we all know the importance of glue guys and he could be one such player.