After that troubling opening night loss to the Detroit Lions way back when, the Kansas City Chiefs have reeled off five straight wins to emerge as comfortable frontrunners in the AFC West. Patrick Mahomes is still the best player in the NFL, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are dating, and Chris Jones is back to his old ways anchoring the defense.
Good vibes all around.
There is every reason to believe the Chiefs can contend for another Super Bowl. It starts with Mahomes, of course, and there's no discounting the inherent coaching edge provided by Andy Reid. But, the rest of the roster tends to carry its weight too. Kelce dominates with his athletic route-running, Isiah Pacheco is a dynamic weapon atop the backfield, and the defense is on solid ground — with a tantalizing Frank Clark reunion in the cards, to boot.
Of course, every team has a weakness. If there's one hole to poke in the Chiefs' high-flying offense, it's the surprising lack of established talent in the WR room. A trade for Mecole Hardman addressed Kansas City's playmaking limitations to a certain degree, but Hardman was hardly part of the game plan in New York.
Between Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, there's not much to feel good about in the Chiefs WR room. Rookie Rashee Rice has popped lately, but it's fair to wonder how much the Chiefs want to rely on a rookie deep into the postseason. With the trade deadline looming in less than two weeks, perhaps another deal is in order.
Here are a few realistic trades to bolster the Chiefs' WR group.
3. Terrace Marshall II
The Carolina Panthers have granted permission to third-year WR Terrace Marshall to seek a trade, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Marshall has struggled to carve out a consistent role in the Panthers' offense.
With an uneven rookie QB at the commands in Bryce Young, Carolina's offense has been a slog. Plenty of blame has been placed on the shoddy WR room, but Marshall and Jonathan Mingo are second-round picks with ample athletic talent. Is it really their fault that Young only feels comfortable with the Adam Thielen safety blanket?
If the Chiefs sweeten the pot with a late-round pick swap, it shouldn't be hard to take a flier on Marshall. He's 6-foot-2 with enough speed and vertical aptitude to thrive in an offense centered on the powerful arm of Patrick Mahomes. He would need to work his way up the depth chart, but frankly, it wouldn't take much for Marshall to make a name for himself compared to Kansas City's current collection of receivers.
In five appearances (two starts) this season, Marshall has caught 16 of 27 targets for 114 yards. He recorded zero receptions in the Panthers' Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He's a low-cost, middle-reward option for the Chiefs.
2. Hunter Renfrow
Hunter Renfrow is 27 years old, smack dab in the middle of his athletic prime, and he's due $13.1 million this season. He's due $13.7 million in 2024, with a potential out for the Las Vegas Raiders or a team that trades for him. The Chiefs would have to stomach the money and a short-term commitment, but there's plenty of potential value here.
Renfrow has been completely uninvolved in the Raiders' game plan, accumulating six receptions for 59 targets in six weeks of action. One could perhaps blame the QB change or the philosophies of Josh McDaniels, but Renfrow is two years removed from a 1,038-yard, nine-touchdown Pro Bowl season in 2021.
The speedy 5-foot-10 slot receiver would fit comfortably into a Chiefs receiving corps built around the titanic presence of Travis Kelce. Kansas City has a lot of speed on the outside with their current group, but Renfrow works the middle of the field as well as anyone — at least, he did when he was at full strength. Maybe it's unwise to bet on a return to form after his injury-plagued 2022 campaign, but there isn't a better place for wideout career revival than Kansas City.
The contract situation probably keeps the outgoing price low. The Raiders used him on five of 70 snaps against the New England Patriots last week, so his absence would hardly be felt. Of course, if anything, Vegas could be hesitant to trade Renfrow to a division rival if they're delusional enough to consider the AFC West a "race."
1. Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy's name has been "percolating" in NFL circles for a while, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Teams are reportedly torn on his value, with some expressing hesitance to offer a day-two pick, while others believe a late third-round pick could be justifiable based on the 24-year-old's talent.
Well, the Chiefs' third-round pick will certainly be late. Also, every trade is a value proposition specific to the engaged parties. Kansas City, with Patrick Mahomes slinging the pigskin and a motley crew of underwhelming wideouts, is more likely to get its money's worth out of Jeudy than your average NFL football team.
With 6-foot-1 size and speed, Jeudy has flashed game-changing potential in three-odd seasons with the Denver Broncos. The 2020 first-round pick has caught 20 of 29 targets for 222 yards in five games (four starts) this season. The Broncos' offense continues to fray at the seams despite Sean Payton's all-knowing presence, so it wouldn't be shocking to see the team — currently 1-5 — cash in on valuable assets in favor of draft capital. The Broncos are still missing picks from the fateful Russell Wilson trade.
Jeudy would occupy a significant place in the Chiefs' WR room. He could end up being the best receiver on the roster, which isn't saying much, but it does say something. Jeudy is coming off a 972-yard, six-touchdown 2022 campaign. He would've broken the 1,000-yard mark if not for injuries. He would benefit from the attention paid to Travis Kelce, and vice versa. Mahomes would certainly love another competent set of hands to throw to.
Steve Smith would have very strong objections to the move, but the Chiefs should place a call to gauge Denver's interest.
