Chiefs rumors: Could Kansas City reunite with former wide receiver?
The Kansas City Chiefs have had plenty of turnover at the wide receiver position in recent years. After the 2021 season, the team traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. Then, after their Super Bowl-winning campaign last year, the Chiefs watched JuJu Smith-Schuster sign a three-year contract with the New England Patriots. So, the Chiefs have a relatively young wide receiving corps, with some amid their development.
If the Chiefs wanted to bolster up at the trade deadline, there is a familiar face now available.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the New York Jets are "looking at options for Mecole Hardman, including a potential trade." Hardman was signed by the Jets this past offseason on a one-year, $4 million contract.
Hardman was another wide receiver that the Chiefs lost via free agency after Super Bowl 57. The thing is, Hardman was rarely used by the Jets, hence the team looking to trade him. So, what would it take for the Chiefs to reacquire their former speedster wide receiver?
FanSided senior editor Mark Powell took a crack at what could get a deal done, and the price wouldn't be much. Specifically, a 2024 sixth-round draft pick.
"Acquiring Hardman could be counter-intuitive for KC," writes Powell. "It's still early enough in the season for the Chiefs to solve such an issue in-house, rather than relying on Hardman. It also means less snaps for some of those same young players the Chiefs hope to develop the next few years.
"Were the Chiefs to trade for Hardman, it likely wouldn't come at a severe expense. A sixth-round pick should get the job done, especially since Hardman isn't receiving much playing time."
Hardman does have knowledge of the Chiefs offense, so it would be a seamless trade for Kansas City to make. The thing is, as Powell points out, it could prevent young receivers like Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice, and Justyn Ross from developing while playing significant snaps.
With Hardman available on the trade block, it will be interesting to see where he might end up for the second half of the season.
Chiefs rumors: Justyn Ross receiving more playing time
The Kansas City Chiefs have watched veteran players leave the organization in recent years. With that, the team has opted to develop some of their top draft picks into legitimate passing game threats for years to come. While the team has used second-round draft picks on wideouts Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice, they also took a chance on former Clemson standout Justyn Ross.
The Tigers wide receiver went undrafted in 2022 due to a congenital fusion in his spine, a condition called Klippel-Feil syndrome. When arriving at Kansas City, he missed all of his rookie season due to an ankle injury. This preseason, Ross caught the attention of Chiefs fans with his play in games and practice.
After Week 5, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talked about Ross getting more involved in the offense, saying that he's "getting better" and "hopefully he grows from that and keeps progressing like he has been." The quote comes courtesy of the Arrowhead Report's Jordan Foote.
Mahomes also praised Ross, saying that he "has the talent," and that "we're going to keep bringing him on and keep moving him around in different positions," per Foote.
In the team's Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings, Ross played six snaps at wide receiver, catching two passes for 28 yards, per Pro Football Focus. His two non-catches were both drops.
On the year, Ross played 30 wide receiver snaps and caught three of six targets for 34 yards.
The Chiefs have faith in Ross and his ability to develop into a contributor in the passing game. We'll see if he can show further improvement on Thursday night when Kansas City plays the rival Denver Broncos.
Chiefs rumors: Positive injury update for Travis Kelce
In Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a major injury scare. Star tight end Travis Kelce slipped on the turf at US Bank Stadium in the first half and walked gingerly to the locker room. Despite being questionable to return with an ankle injury, Kelce would play in the second half and catch a touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
After the team's 27-20 victory, reports indicated Kelce suffered a low ankle sprain. While he did return to the Vikings game, fans and media alike wondered if he would be ready for Week 6. That's because the Chiefs are on a short week, facing the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. So, will Kelce play?
On Tuesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid revealed that Kelce would practice with the team. Additionally, Reid said that Kelce is "feeling a little bit better," but stressed he wants to see how he does before the game. Reid's comments come courtesy of The Athletic's Nate Taylor.
This is promising news, but as Reid stresses, they want to see how Kelce does in practice before making a decision regarding his game status. Kelce has shown that he will try and play with an injury. Let's not forget that he wanted to play in Week 1 despite picking up a bone bruise in his knee, but the Chiefs opted for him to sit out that game.
In Week 5, Kelce caught 10-of-11 targets from Mahomes for 67 yards and a touchdown. On the year, Kelce caught 27-of-37 pass attempts for 222 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chiefs have a favorable matchup on Thursday night, as they face a rival Broncos team that has the worst defense in the league, as they allowed 450.6 yards off offense and 36.2 points per game. Having Kelce in the lineup would increase Kansas City's odds of winning.