The Kansas City Chiefs are running short of wide receivers and the best of several mediocre solutions might be a trade with the rival Baltimore Ravens for Rashod Bateman.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN suggested on October 14 that Baltimore may consider moving Bateman, who turns 27 in November, despite extending him in 2025 on a three-year deal worth $37 million total that runs through 2029.
“Another player I’m keeping an eye on is Baltimore’s Rashod Bateman,” Fowler wrote. “Zay Flowers is the dominant wide receiver in the Ravens’ offense, which means Bateman’s production comes and goes. Bateman’s contract is tradable — he is due $6.5 million this year and $8.25 million in 2027 — and other teams have had interest in the past. The Ravens are in contention and might not want to move players, but Bateman is at least a name on my list.”
Chiefs Require Explosive Pass-Catcher to Replace Tyquan Thornton
Bateman is not a perfect solution for what Kansas City needs, at least not according to Gennaro Filice of NFL.com.
“Tyquan Thornton’s ankle dislocation garnered more attention for its gruesomeness than its harm to the Chiefs’ offense, but the 4.2 burner had carved out a critical role in Kansas City as Patrick Mahomes’ deep threat, something the franchise lacked for years following the Tyreek Hill trade,” Filice wrote Thursday. “In 18 games over the past two years with the Chiefs, Thornton caught 30 passes for a whopping 657 yards (21.9 a pop!) and five touchdowns. His mere presence forced defenses to stay honest for fear of getting beat over the top.”
Thornton has a chance to come back by the end of the regular season, or potentially the playoffs, which Kansas City (5-0) appears destined to make. Xavier Worthy is similarly speedy and currently healthy, but he has proven unable to fill the role as Mahomes’ top deep threat over his first three NFL campaigns.
Rashod Bateman Somewhere Between Deep Threat Chiefs Need, Possession Playmakers They Already Have
Bateman had a strong athletic profile coming out of college in the 2021 draft, though his 40-yard dash time was closer to 4.4 seconds than the 4.2-second time that Thornton and Worthy each boast.
That said, Bateman’s average depth of target this season is 11.8 yards compared to 7.0 yards for Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice, who is out for the third straight week with knee and hamstring issues, and 6.6 yards for tight end Travis Kelce, who has played well this season but is battling an ankle problem heading into Seattle for a showdown with the Seahawks on Sunday.
Bateman is also leading the league in success rate among receivers through Week 6 with a percentage of 72.7%. In other words, he is the most reliable wideout in the NFL right now when it comes to passing for first downs after considering the requisite gains needed on all downs 1-4 to render a first-down conversion likely.
He has 173 receptions for 2,380 receiving yards and 16 TDs across 70 games played (51 starts). If available, Bateman’s trade cost is likely to fall in the range a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick in 2027.
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