Getty Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before — the Kansas City Chiefs won a game, but their pass catchers looked bad during the win.
That was the case during Kansas City’s 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Germany in Week 9. And that is why Bleacher Report is urging the defending Super Bowl champions to sign free-agent wide receiver Marquez Callaway.
“The Chiefs let the trade deadline come and go without adding a wide receiver. They are still one of the best teams in the league, but they might come to regret that,” the Bleacher Report staff wrote on November 6. “Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson and Richie James all made appearances on the Chiefs’ injury report last week with various ailments.
“Marquez Callaway is one of the best free-agent options available. The 26-year-old had a strong 2021 campaign which included 698 yards and six touchdowns. He’s at least worth a look for a team that needs receiver options.”
What to Know About Marquez Callaway
Marquez Callaway, 25, played his collegiate ball at Tennessee and went undrafted in 2020. That same year, he signed with the New Orleans Saints and played with the team for three years.
During those three years in New Orleans, Callaway registered 83 receptions on 143 targets for 1,069 yards — 12.9 yards per catch — and 7 touchdowns in 42 games played, according to Pro Football Reference.
On March 24, Callaway signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos. His time in Denver was short-lived, however, as the team released him during preseason cutdowns in August. The Las Vegas Raiders then signed him to their practice squad on August 31 but then cut him on October 10.
To get a better understanding of the type of role Callaway can play on offense as well as special teams, here is NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein’s overview of Callaway from his draft profile of Callaway:
“One-trick prospect with field-stretching ability to work the third level, but lacking the route savvy and consistent competitiveness to get open underneath” Zierlein wrote. “Tape can be frustrating as Callaway simply doesn’t play to his speed often enough and operates with a sense of lethargy at times. He’s a natural pass-catcher with plus ball skills and offers punt return value, but he must improve his routes and prove he can be more than an occasional deep ball threat if he wants to hold an NFL job.”
Should Chiefs Be Interested In Marquez Callaway?
When taking all factors into consideration, it wouldn’t make much sense for the Chiefs to sign Marquez Callaway.
As a player who is strictly a vertical receiver, adding Callaway to Kansas City’s roster would be adding much of the same to the team, as Marquez Valdes-Scantling provides the same ability in terms of being a deep-ball threat, as does Justin Watson. Not to mention that Callaway isn’t talented enough to be on an NFL roster in Week 10 of the regular season, which means he likely wouldn’t do enough with the Chiefs to exceed the playmaking ability of MVS or Watson, making him a pointless addition for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Unless injuries begin to plague the receiver room, there’s no point in the Chiefs attempting to dip into the free agent pool at this point in the season as a means to cure their wide receiver woes.
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Chiefs Urged to Sign 25-Year-Old Free Agent WR & Deep Ball Threat