As the trade deadline draws closer, the Chiefs’ needs are getting harder to ignore, and the rumor mill is starting to churn around a few possible fixes. Receiver and offensive line remain the clearest trouble spots, and ESPN’s Nate Taylor, Dan Graziano and Seth Walder each pointed to different names as the conversation keeps widening.
Taylor’s take centered on what became even more obvious after Kansas City’s loss to the Denver Broncos: the Chiefs need more help at receiver. Rashee Rice gave them a solid outing, but the rest of the group didn’t do nearly enough.
The secondary receivers finished with just six catches for 37 yards, nearly the same output they managed against the Seattle Seahawks. Against better competition, that kind of production simply isn’t enough.
Walder floated Chris Godwin Jr. as a possible target, describing him as “a veteran player who is past his prime” and noting that he’s averaging just 1.2 yards per route run this season. Even with that dip, Godwin fits a familiar Chiefs pattern. Kansas City has often been willing to take a swing on fading veterans instead of paying the price for a receiver in his prime.
The money side could make it work, too. Walder said Godwin is on a fully guaranteed $22 million salary, which would mean the Buccaneers would need to convert almost all of his remaining money into a signing bonus before sending him out for a draft pick. Tampa Bay sits at 3-5 in the NFC South, but it’s still only a game out, which complicates any decision to move him.
It’s not a clean solution, but it’s the kind of move the Chiefs have considered before. And given the cost of landing one of the bigger names, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they went down that road again.
Graziano’s name to watch was cornerback Kristian Fulton, a player who could be available for a different set of reasons. There’s some upside in that idea, starting with the fact that Fulton has been in trouble since last season, so a change of scenery wouldn’t be shocking. Graziano also pointed out that Fulton makes $10 million this year, and a trade could free up money that Kansas City could redirect toward offense.
But that move would come with a price on the other side of the ball. The Chiefs would lose depth at corner, and with cornerback Mansoor Delane now reportedly recovering from what we know to be a hairline fracture of his scapula, the back end could get thin in a hurry.
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