The NFL's trade deadline on Tuesday means that the rumors will be flying in the hours after Week 9 for teams looking to finally grab any last-minute items on their shopping lists. The Kansas City Chiefs have been eyeing the wide receiver options for quite some time, with numerous names connected in recent weeks.
But what makes this time of year so interesting—and likely so challenging for general manager Brett Veach—is just how much can change week to week. The fallout of Week 9 adds some wrinkles to an already frenzied pre-deadline stretch for the Chiefs.
Here's how things might be affecting Veach's ability to grab a wide receiver.
Rams might enter the WR market
The Rams moved their record above .500 with a 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 9. Myles Garrett looked good in his return from injury with three sacks, and their third-consecutive victory has to have L.A. feeling good about its momentum going into the season's second half.
Then came the news that Puka Nacua had injured his knee on the team's final offensive play of the game. Early reports were that Nacua avoided an ACL injury but further tests are coming and the team's early struggles mean they've surrendered any margin for such moments. Fans should expect the Rams to enter the WR trade market.
The Rams are all-in already on this season. That means the Chiefs are up against another aggressive bidder in the wide receiver aisle.
Bad timing for the Titans
The Tennessee Titans have zero reasons to hold onto Calvin Ridley at this point. The aging receiver has caught 8 passes from Cam Ward through the first half of the season for a mere 91 yards. He's got a heavy cap hit of $29 million for next season. And the Titans, as constructed, are going nowhere. That's why Ridley has been on the trade block ahead of the deadline, one of multiple Titans vets who should be traded by Tuesday afternoon.
The latest report out of Nashville, however, has a vague outline for interested teams: that Ridley was involved in an "incident" at the airport and that the team is aware. That's it. The Titans were already going to get fringe draft assets in return for Ridley from another team while having to absorb some of the financial burden. Now they might have to take on even more to find a team willing to accept some quick risk.
Bears, Broncos linger in the background
The Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos are both contenders with every reason to add more talent before the trade deadline. Thus, after watching each team lose dynamic receivers to concussions in their respective games, there might be even more teams making calls for available wideouts.
Luther Burden left the Bears' win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth quarter after getting hit in the helmet by Rueben Bain. He had to be helped off the field afterward and the team placed him in the concussion protocol.
Meanwhile, Waddle was one of two players with concussions—along with corner Riley Moss—in the Broncos' win over the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Sean Payton said, "I don't think [it's] anything serious, prior to the bye," which eases some worry there. But if George Paton wanted to get ahead of a concern, he might want to kick the tires on wide receivers.
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