The Kansas City Chiefs are currently gambling on wide receiver position

When the Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Friday it created a huge buzz in the NFL world. The Kansas City Chiefs found their name in the middle of that buzz as a team that had reportedly had interest in Hopkins. That makes sense because Hopkins had spoken about wanting to go to a team with a good quarterback and a chance to win a Super Bowl. That sounds like the Chiefs, but at the end of the day it doesn't look like the Chiefs will be the team that will offer Hopkins the most money. So if Hopkins doesn't land in KC, should fans feel okay with the Chiefs wide receiver group?

The answer to that question is complicated. Yes, Chiefs fans should feel good about the upside of their current wide receiver group. However, you can also make a case that there is a lot of risk with their current wide receivers. In other words, the Chiefs are gambling on the position.

Just last week I wrote about the five players that had the biggest boom or bust potential next season for the Chiefs. Three of those five players were wide receivers and that didn't include rookie second round pick Rashee Rice. Rookies are always an unknown coming into the NFL, so that leaves KC with four players that are key parts of their wide receiver group as having a wide range of outcomes this season. While that means there is a lot of upside there, we have to also be honest and admit that there is a lot of risk too.

After winning the Super Bowl last season after trading away superstar wideout Tyreek Hill, many fans have taken up the mantra of "Patrick Mahomes is so good he can win without great receivers". While I certainly think there is some truth in that statement, I think Mahomes does need SOME talent at wide receiver and the assumption that we're just as well off as we were a year ago and shouldn't worry makes me a little nervous.

While it's certainly possible that this year's wide receiver group could match or even outperform last year's group, I think it's a mistake to just assume the Chiefs can easily replace the production of Juju Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. While neither of those players are close to as dynamic as Tyreek Hill, they did account for 103 receptions, 1,261 offensive yards, and nine total touchdowns last season. What numbers did Tyreek Hill put up in his final year in KC? 111 receptions, 1,335 offensive yards, and nine total touchdowns. So essentially, Juju and Hardman provided the Chiefs with Hill's production last season and now they have to replace that production again.

Could that production easily be made up or surpassed by a healthy Kadarius Toney, a bigger role for Skyy Moore, and some rookie production from Rashee Rice? Absolutely, but none of those three things are something that I feel so confident in that I'd want to place my Super Bowl hopes for next season on them. Fan favorite Justyn Ross is an even bigger gamble. Veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and maybe Justin Watson are really the only known quantities in the receiver room and at this point in their careers I don't see either of them doing a lot more than they did last season.

All of this is to say that the Chiefs don't have to go out and win a bidding war for Hopkins. Frankly, I don't think they could win a bidding war even if they wanted to. I know there are fans that think "They'll just extend Chris Jones and re-work Patrick Mahomes's deal and then they'll have plenty of money." But those things take time. They aren't going to rush through those deals just to get them done so that they can sign a veteran wide receiver. Brett Veach has talked about the planning that goes into those deals and how they aren't just looking at this season, but several years down the road. So unless those deals were already about done, don't count on that happening in time to win a bidding war for Hopkins.

So do I think the Chiefs will end up with DeAndre Hopkins? I think the chances are pretty slim at best. Do I think there is a chance that they'll be just fine without him? Yes, I think it's definitely in the possible range of outcomes that the Chiefs are even better at wide receiver this season and they go on to win another Super Bowl. I also think it's possible that Kadarius Toney can't stay healthy, that neither Skyy Moore or Rashee Rice look ready to be full-time players this season, and that the Justyn Ross lottery ticket doesn't hit. In that scenario the Chiefs probably don't have enough pass catching weapons to repeat as champs and we go into next offseason focused on adding wide receiver talent.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a gamble to me.