After a brutal last-minute loss to the Buffalo Bills, there are a lot of holes on the Chiefs’ roster. Here are some trade scenarios to help the team become more complete.
The Chiefs stand at 4-2, with a solid offense and a defense that is reliable in certain situations. The front office totally retooled the entire roster of Kansas City, the team traded Tyreek Hill and signed JuJu-Smith Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling. On the defensive side of the ball, they signed Justin Reid and Carlos Dunlap to help fix the holes they had on that side, but they need some work everywhere.
The Chiefs seem willing to make bold changes on the team, it seems fitting they would be willing to make a trade to get better on either side of the ball. The Chiefs’ offense has been great all season, but they could use a receiver they could rely on to make big plays, and on defense, they could use an edge rusher to help fix a bad pass rush. Here are three possible trades for the Chiefs to make before the deadline.
The Blockbuster Trade for Terry McClaurin
Chiefs Receive: WR Terry McClaurin
Washington Receive: Chiefs’ 2023 First Round, Third Round, 2024 Second Round, Mecole Hardman.
“Scary” Terry McClaurin is in purgatory, the newly minted Washington Commanders are not good and Terry McClaurin has been a standout through his three seasons. It seems like it is time for the Commanders and McClaurin to move on, but Washington wants to keep him to help the transition of yet another QB next season.
Kansas City hasn’t been able to establish who the number one receiver is on the team and they are in need of finding who that is as the season goes on, and Terry McClaurin fits as the young piece to pair with Mahomes for years to come. Even though Skyy Moore and Marquez Valez-Scantling seem to fit the scheme and might be good for trade assets for Washington, Mecole Hardman has a lot of upsides and he just seems like the odd man out in Kansas City. Washington needs someone who can take the top off of a defense and Mecole would actually fit in quite nicely next to Jahan Dotson.
It seems weird to offer a lot of draft picks for a wideout, but the Chiefs seem like they are willing to make a big move and this would make Kansas City even more dangerous.
Brian Burns Helps to Fix the Pass Rush
Chiefs Receive: DE Brian Burns
Panthers Receive: 2023 First Round Pick, 2023 4th Round Pick, 2024 5th Round Pick
Carolina is going to have a full-on fire sale sometime soon, it seems strange to think a team in the NFL is already ready to tank to get picks, but Carolina is that team. The Panthers fired their head coach after Week 5, seem to have two hurt quarterbacks and a couple of offensive players who want out of Carolina. But on the defensive side, it seems like the most obvious name to be traded has been the young defensive end, Brian Burns.
Burns and Kansas City would be a great match, with the waning health of Frank Clark and the lack of experience of rookie George Karlaftis and Mike Danna, the Chiefs’ pass rush needs a leader. Chris Jones has been playing great football all season, but with the loss of Tershawn Wharton for the season, an athletic edge rusher would help.
Kansas City seems to have a need at the edge and Burns would be the solution to that problem. I don’t think the Chiefs would give up a first-round pick, but the Chiefs need to find a way to get pressure without sending extra defenders. A first-round pick and fourth-round pick should be enough to get the deal done and get the Panthers started on their rebuild. Burns would be expensive quick, but it does seem like the Chiefs would be willing to compensate Burns’ contract going forward, especially if Burns makes an impact on this defense.
Chiefs take DJ Moore from Carolina in Panther’s Fire Sale
Chiefs Receive: WR DJ Moore
Panthers Receive: 2023 Second Round Pick, 2023 4th Round Pick, 2024 5th Round Pick
With the aforementioned fire sale going on in Carolina, it would be really smart to look at trying to get DJ Moore out of his bad situation. Moore’s agent seems to be the most vocal about his player’s willingness to leave the Panthers. Carolina would be the most desperate for picks and the Chiefs would love to have Moore on the roster as they try to contend for future seasons.
Moore and Mahomes would be a great duo for the future of the franchise and I gave Carolina the same deal for both players because it seems like the Chiefs would be willing to give up a high draft pick, but not a first-rounder.
Chiefs Go Safe and Add Yannick Ngakoue to the Edge Unit
Chiefs Receive: DE Yannick Ngakoue, 2023 6th Round Pick
Colts Receive: 2023 5th Round Pick, 2024 4th Round Pick
The Colts could change and turn into a competent football team, especially in the very bad AFC South, but Indy has been really inconsistent. They are probably the worst teams with multiple wins and it seems like they might be in a fire sale mode pretty soon, especially on defense. There are plenty of names that would fit the bill as a blockbuster trade for the Chiefs, but I’d bet the Chiefs would just trade for a solid player rather than their big names like Shaq Leonard or Stephon Gillmore.
Ngakoue has been a very solid defensive end/pass rusher for many seasons now and it seems like it’d only be a matter of time for him to be traded to a contender, especially if the Colts are out of contention by the deadline. Ngakoue is an old-school defensive end and he’d fit perfectly in the Spagnuolo system in Kansas City. He and Dunlap would be a nice veteran presence for young guys like Karlaftis and Kaindoh.
This is probably the most realistic trade for the Chiefs, it would help to make the Chiefs’ edge rusher rotation a lot better and I think the Chiefs would send a couple of mid-round picks for the veteran edge rusher. It’d be a savvy move due to the number of picks they have in those rounds in the next couple of drafts and the Colts would get some picks for a player they might lose in free agency.
Kansas City gets Michael Thomas out of New Orleans
Chiefs Receive: WR Michael Thomas, 2023 5th Round Pick
Saints Receive: WR Mecole Hardman, 2023 2nd Round Pick, 2023 3rd Round Pick
Michael Thomas hasn’t played consistent football since he broke the single-season reception record back in 2019. He has been a healthy scratch, suspended, or has had a minor injury ever since and it seems like it would be the time for New Orleans and him to break up. New Orleans has a new regime and has had several new quarterbacks since 2019, and a change of location would be good for him.
The Chiefs would love to have a reliable receiver and Thomas would instantly find the connection between him and Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, Kelce, and Thomas would be an insane offense, especially if Thomas is healthy.
I think the Saints would want to move on from Thomas and Thomas would want to go to a team that is in contention. It’s why I think the Chiefs wouldn’t have to give up too much to get him out of NOLA. A second and third-round pick and Mecole Hardman would be the best compensation for Thomas, it’d give a fresh start and draft capital for the Saints as they try to retool their roster.
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