Tyreek Hill’s decision to seek a trade and new contract with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday has changed the NFL landscape, significantly impacting one of the top teams in the AFC.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ top receiver won’t be easy to replace in either free agency or the draft as the defending AFC West champions look to bolster the position group. The team added a starting-caliber receiver last week in former Pittsburgh Steelers star Juju Smith-Schuster. Many thought he’d serve as the perfect complement to Hill on the opposite side, but Hill’s abrupt departure has the Chiefs staring at Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Josh Gordon, and Cornell Powell as top pass-catchers at the receiver position.
An intriguing name that has been floated throughout the front office since last year has been Odell Beckham Jr. The former Los Angeles Rams receiver was a vital part of the team’s run to the Super Bowl title before tearing his ACL in the game. After being released last November by the Cleveland Browns, Beckham Jr. was heavily reported to be on the Chiefs’ radar. The former Pro Bowler is a well-known speedster with exceptional hands and a constant threat with the deep ball. He may not match Hill’s chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, but he can serve as an all-important insurance policy for the midseason while recovering from the latest knee injury.
A gamble such as this would allow the Chiefs to explore Hardman in a full-time starter’s role officially. The third-year receiver made significant strides at the end of the year finishing with 693 yards on 59 receptions. The expected increase in targets could see his numbers take an even more significant leap forward while paired with Smith-Schuster.
Beckham Jr.’s solid finish to the 2021 season, playing 12 games in Los Angeles, showed his ability to adapt quickly to a new team. He finished with 48 catches, 593 yards, and seven touchdowns during that span. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared his thoughts on star players showing interest in Kansas City back in November when Beckham Jr.’s name surfaced during his weekly press conference.
“Listen, we’ve been doing OK,” Reid said. “It’s a great city, a great venue to play here. If you’re a player in this league, I have to think it’s a pretty good situation. You’ve got some young players that are pretty good on the team. . . We do get linked to them. You guys know Brett (Veach), he’s always going to keep his eyes and ears open. That’s how he does. You’re going to get tied in with certain guys — right or wrong — you’re going to get tied in with certain guys. But that’s healthy too, that’s what you want.”
The addition of former Green Bay Packers receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling shouldn’t be viewed as a reason to ignore the prospect of adding Beckham Jr. in free agency. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has been a strong believer in adding multiple playmakers as he described during a recent press conference.
“I think our priority is always any sort of advantage that we can get, we’ll pursue,” Veach told reporters in early February. “It’s no different than the Rams. I mean they had a bunch of wide outs and they had a chance to get Odell (Beckham Jr.). We could’ve potentially still had Sammy Watkins on the roster and that would have been something, but I think you guys know how we’re wired. If it makes sense to us and it doesn’t put us in any long-term binds in regard to future caps and structure, but if there’s any way we can get better and there’s any way we can get Pat (Patrick) Mahomes more weapons we’ll do that. Obviously, Odell has done a great job for the Rams and it just worked for them that as soon as they signed him, they had a receiver get hurt so now it looks like an even better move. I think that it was something that if this scenario would’ve played out a year ago, with different receivers, we still probably would’ve acquired and pursued. I don’t think we’ll ever shy away from trying to get one percent advantage and that’s kind of how we approach things. If it makes sense for us, even if it’s just a little better, we’ll pursue it and that was the case there. Maybe it would’ve made a bigger difference than just that one percent given different roster constructions on different teams, but we’ll always pursue talent and if it makes sense, we’ll be aggressive in that fashion.”
The addition of Beckham Jr. could be a positive for the Chiefs moving forward, adding a weapon who should be ready midseason, while still allowing for the growth of young players at the position. Maybe Kansas City waits until the 2022 NFL draft plays out before making a run for Beckham Jr., who currently remains a free agent. Brett Veach would be wise to at least look into the possibility, considering the latest changes to his receiver room.
