Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes II chat during Super Bowl LIV.
The number one free agent that’s still out there on the open market is wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who’s coming off a torn ACL in 2021, but could also be the perfect addition to put this Kansas City Chiefs offense over the top.
The three-time Pro Bowler and five-time 1,000-yard playmaker just won a championship title with the Los Angeles Rams last season. His surgically repaired knee actually gave out mid-game in Super Bowl LVI.
Beckham claimed that he played the whole back half of the 2021 campaign “without an ACL” and the expectation from top NFL insiders like Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler is that he may not be fully healthy until late October or even Thanksgiving. Having said that, a closer like Beckham might be exactly what this franchise needs ahead of the playoffs.
Spears & Graziano Love Odell Beckham for Kansas City
On an episode of ESPN’s “Get Up” this morning on October 4, analysts Marcus Spears and Dan Graziano said they’d both choose to sign with the Chiefs if they were Beckham.
“To play with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and be the number one [receiver],” Graziano reasoned, “there comes a point in the game where it’s about players, not plays, and the Chiefs right now have Travis Kelce that fits that description and really nobody else. He could be that guy for them.”
Spears also saw the partnership as a mutually beneficial link for KC and “OBJ.”
“They need a closer at the wide receiver spot,” Spears began. “I like this team, obviously. We know how great Patrick Mahomes is but when you get in high-leverage games, where we know Kansas City is headed, you gon’ have to have a guy where it’s just about the man as opposed to some concept or something that Andy Reid can dial-up, and I think OBJ in this offense obviously will open up things for Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and he’ll add and increase this run game because you have to determine coverage when he’s playing wide receiver.”
Spears concluded that he thinks “this is [Beckham’s] best chance to potentially win another ring,” adding that he can also “increase an offense that we just saw put up 41 points against the [Tampa Bay Buccaneers].”
A reunion with the Rams is still the betting favorite for Beckham’s eventual landing spot, but the superstar playmaker has kept his options open. In recent weeks, he’s flirted with potential Super Bowl contenders like the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, and of course, the Rams.
The wideout also visited with his first NFL team, the New York Giants, this week. According to reports, however, Beckham was only present at Big Blue facilities to check up on ex-teammate Sterling Shephard after his recent torn ACL.
Chiefs Might Need Reinforcements at Wide Receiver
Absences at wide receiver are definitely a concern for Kansas City long-term. You have Smith-Schuster as the current number one and he’s only signed to a one-year contract because of his injury history in Pittsburgh.
Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman have also dealt with nagging issues since training camp and both appeared to gut it out in Tampa Bay after questionable tags in Week 4.
There is depth behind those three with rookie Skyy Moore and fan favorite Justin Watson, as well as practice squad reserves Daurice Fountain and Corey Coleman, but there’s an obvious lack of star power in this unit.
Now, the Chiefs may not necessarily need that with Mahomes and Kelce leading the offense, but it doesn’t hurt either — especially if it’s someone like Beckham who should be somewhat affordable on a short-term deal. This addition would only cost financials, and general manager Brett Veach might be able to free up some cap space by finding a creative solution or trading away a player like Ronald Jones.