The Kansas City Chiefs are 0-2 to start the season for the first time since 2014, and one of the biggest reasons is abundantly clear. The team doesn’t have enough offensive weapons right now to support Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
For pass-catching options, Rashee Rice is suspended for the first six weeks for his involvement in a March 2024 street racing car crash. Xavier Worthy missed most of Week 1 and all of Week 2 with a shoulder injury after colliding with TE Travis Kelce. And speaking of the soon-to-be Mr. Taylor Swift, he looks washed up a few weeks shy of his 36th birthday.
The running back room isn’t in much better shape. Kareem Hunt, Isaiah Pacheco, and Brashard Smith have a combined 119 rushing and receiving yards through two games, while Mahomes has 123 rushing yards by himself.
Top Wide Receiver and Running Back Kansas City Trade Targets
While the Chiefs’ offense will start to look better when Rice and Worthy come back, which in Worthy’s case could be as soon as Week 3, General Manager Brett Veach should start looking at skill position players he could possibly bring in ahead of the November 5 NFL trade deadline, which ends before Week 10.
If Veach does decide to make a deal or two, here are the four running backs and wide receivers that make the most sense for the Chiefs to target in the trade market.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
The most widely rumored, discussed, and frankly hoped-for trade in the Chiefs’ universe is a reunion with former Kansas City and current Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill.
Everyone knows what Hill did while working with Mahomes and company from 2016 to 2021. To refresh your memory on the details, there were 479 catches for 6,630 yards with 62 total touchdowns. There were also six Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro nods, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Lombardi Trophy.
At 0-3, the Dolphins’ season is perilously close to being over already, and keeping Hill around would be counterproductive to developing young talent at best and a massive distraction due to his attitude when losing at worst. Trading Hill seems almost a foregone conclusion at this point.
While this seems like a no-brainer football decision, there are other considerations. The Chiefs drafted Hill out of West Alabama despite being forced out at Oklahoma State following domestic violence charges.
He’s faced more assault and child abuse charges and allegations since, and now his ex-wife is claiming eight more instances of domestic violence as part of their divorce. Still, the Chiefs seem like they will once again happily give him that chance if the Dolphins are willing to part with him.
Romeo Doubbs, WR, Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Green Bay Packers are flush with receivers who are all relatively similar. Doubs has been productive, averaging 57 catches for 678 yards and six touchdowns per 17-game season.
Still, with his contract up, Doubs is likely the odd man out with Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Savion Williams, all in the fold. However, this deal might have to wait until closer to the trade deadline, with Watson and Reed both out with injuries.
If the Chiefs can make this happen, though, Doubs would fit in perfectly with Rice and Worthy as the No. 2/3 WR on the depth chart. And since he is likely a one-year rental, his price tag shouldn’t be that high.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Prior to this season, Travis Etienne Jr. was the lead back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has two 1,000-plus-yard campaigns under his belt and over 1,000 career receiving yards. Etienne has still led the team in carries and RB receptions this season, but with two young players behind him, his time in Duval County may be coming to an end.
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The 2021 first-round pick is playing on his fifth-year option and will be a free agent next season, and the Jags like his backup, rookie fourth-rounder Bhayshul Tuten. So, getting something for Etienne before he walks for nothing makes sense.
Etienne isn’t a bellcow back, but his combination of rushing and pass-catching ability would make him a good fit for the Chiefs. He’s a little like the rich man’s Pacheco, so upgrading in that way with Hunt still in the mix would help Mahomes a lot.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford is the odd man out in the crowded Cleveland Browns running back room, as rookies Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, and Raheim Sanders are all vying for carries. With the Browns in the state they are in, giving the rock to developing rookies makes a lot more sense than letting a solid, veteran back tote the ball.
Ford has never been in an RB1 situation, and that makes sense. He is better suited for a split. Still, he averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season and has season-long runs of 66 and 69 yards the last two seasons, so there is some explosiveness there, too.
The Browns’ back isn’t a long-term answer for the Chiefs, but if they don’t want to pay the higher price tag for a back like Etienne, bringing Ford in and letting him compete for carries with Hunt and Pacheco does make some sense.
