Kansas City Chiefs future trade candidate: Terrace Marshall

The Kansas City Chiefs have their roster holes, or at least concerns, just like any other team in the NFL heading toward the preseason. While they are the defending champs, the truth is that the salary cap and the overall financial structure keep parity alive and well, which means teams like the Chiefs look good in some places and weaker in others.

Some fans would like to see their favorite team add some help at key positions of potential need. From defensive tackle to edge rusher to wide receiver, the Chiefs have been linked with various veterans in the hopes of making such a move, but general manager Brett Veach has showed significant restraint thus far in filling "holes" that aren't proven needs.

What Veach likely has in mind is a greater perspective for the full calendar and what will be available to him later down the road. After all, the Chiefs face a long season ahead with 17 regular season games and, hopefully, another few games in the postseason. In that span of time, the Chiefs will figure out some things, see some losses in another (injuries?), and will need to respond to the played-out reality of the 2023 for a season in motion.

From time to time, we'll take a look at midseason trade ideas to remind Chiefs fans there will be others available down the road, including Terrance Marshall.

That's why we're going to highlight potential future trade targets for the Chiefs from time to time to remind ourselves and the rest of the Kingdom that the NFL's trade deadline gives the team a long window ahead in which they can evaluate and decide upon making any moves.

First up is Carolina Panthers wide receiver Terrace Marshall, Jr.

Marshall is entering his third NFL season, all with the Panthers, after being selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 59 overall. As a prospect out of LSU, he was compared with a wide range of players, showing the sort of wide spectrum that scouts knew he could bring to the pro level. While one scout compared him to Michael Gallup, another would say Tyrell Williams. Another one mentioned Josh Doctson while another even went so far as bring up Justin Jefferson.

Two years into his career however and things haven't exactly taken off for Marshall. In two seasons, he has only 45 catches for 628 yards and he has a single touchdown to his name—middling numbers for a wide receiver who has started 12 total games and appeared in 15 more. But it's important to also recall who was throwing him the ball in the first place. The Panthers have suffered through a revolving door of Cam Newton, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Baker Mayfield, and Jacob Eason since Marshall was drafted.

As a big, lengthy target with amazing speed, he could remind some Chiefs fans of Marquez Valdes-Scantling if he puts up a bit more production. Even last year, he averaged 10.4 yards/target which would have placed him second among qualifiers (behind Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins).

For the Panthers, this offseason is all about first overall pick Bryce Young as comfortable as possible, and that's where Marshall should be a nice early-season target to give him another outlet. But the team has already signed Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark to help in that category and they also drafted Jonathan Mingo in the second round, too. That doesn't include Laviska Shenault or tight end Hayden Hurst.

If the season starts to slip away on a team that's starting all over, Marshall would likely be best served on the trade block as he enters the second half of his rookie deal. A team like the Panthers should be acquiring future draft assets as they can to stockpile the roster for Young's first few years in the league.

For the Chiefs, Marshall would be the sort of Kadarius Toney-like grab for this year, a way to grab cost-controlled young talent and keep the wide receiver room as deep as possible while also evaluating a talented player up close if given a change of scenary. If Marshall could step into the shoes of someone like MVS, the cost savings there could be tremendous.

Interesting Chiefs-related side note: Marshall is the great nephew of Chiefs Ring of Honor member Joe Delaney. If you need a cherry on top here, that is certainly a great story.

For now, Marshall could be an important part of a young core for a franchise that just hit the reset button, but in a half season, depending on how things are turning out, Marshall could be the sort of trade fodder to benefit the Chiefs instead.