The Kansas City Chiefs offense finally rebounded against the Las Vegas Raiders, but they could still use some more help at the wide receiver position after injuries to Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney.
On that note, the Bleacher Report’s NFL staff had an appealing suggestion for Kansas City during their team-by-team breakdown for Week 13.
“Patrick Mahomes is still developing chemistry with his young receivers, but it’s on them to step up to the plate,” B/R wrote, adding: “Injuries haven’t helped either, and the options they can add are limited at this point.”
“KJ Hamler is one of the most intriguing out there,” they continued, explaining that “the former second-round pick was released by the Denver Broncos during the summer with a heart issue.”
He has since been cleared and now resides on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad — which means the Chiefs could poach Hamler by offering him a spot on their 53-man roster.
KJ Hamler Could Stretch the Field at WR for Chiefs
Right now, Mahomes is missing that reliable deep threat. Marquez Valdes-Scantling cannot seem to haul in the long ball anymore and Hardman was just placed on the short-term injured reserve.
That leaves a vacancy for someone like Richie James — or a flier like Hamler.
With the Broncos, Hamler’s best moments came on go routes and deep connections, with previous NFL longs of 55 and 49 yards. At the very least, his presence and speed could stretch the field for KC on occasion.
Hamler fell out of favor under a new coaching staff in Denver, but the former Penn State product is still only 24 years of age. He also fits the profile of a Brett Veach experiment, considering the Chiefs GM loves taking low-risk chances on talent.
At the NFL level, Hamler caught 30 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie (13 games). He only appeared in 10 outings over the next two seasons combined, with 239 receiving yards over that span.
In his prime at Penn State, however, the wideout caught 98 passes over 26 appearances which added up to 1,658 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Now healthy after the medical setback, perhaps KC could tap into some of the speedster’s potential.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Provides Injury Update on WR Kadarius Toney at Start of Week 13
Hardman is sidelined for at least three more games, but Toney could return in Week 13, theoretically. On Monday, November 27, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid offered an explanation for KC’s cautious approach with the WR against the Raiders.
“I’m not sure he could have taken a hit, and that’s kind of what it came down to,” Reid said, regarding Toney’s Week 12 status. “We thought we’d give him time — a short week — give him as much time as he could to progress there, but it just did not work out that way.”
Big Red also confirmed that it was Toney’s hip injury that kept him out, not his ankle.
While this update is somewhat positive from Reid, it’s concerning too. If Kansas City wasn’t sure Toney could take a hit in a game as physical as football, who’s to say that will change in four or five days.
It’s an interesting situation to monitor as the week goes on, either way, and Toney’s continued availability issues support the theory that the Chiefs should consider bringing in some more talent at WR — like Hamler or an alternative.
Chiefs Urged to Target Former Broncos Second-Round WR