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The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly shopping veteran wide receiver Richie James according to the latest trade rumor from ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler on October 30.
Fowler reported: “The Chiefs and WR Richie James are exploring trade possibilities, per source.”
Explaining: “James – who’s on IR but would be healthy for a new team – appears [to be] the odd man out after [the] Mecole Hardman trade. James had 50 catches for 569 yards and four touchdowns for the [New York] Giants in 2022.”
The immediate reaction to this report was one of confusion. “Why are they looking at trading away receivers?” One popular fan comment read. “They should be acquiring receivers.”
Several other members of Chiefs Kingdom echoed this opinion, and A-to-Z Sports KC media member Charles Goldman chimed in too.
“I think the most interesting part about the report about the Chiefs and Richie James is that they currently have two open roster spots on the 53-man roster,” he said.
“They could just bring him back from IR,” Goldman noted, adding: “But then they’d have like five slot receivers ([Rashee] Rice, Hardman, [Kadarius] Toney, and [Skyy] Moore).”
Is it possible Kansas City is freeing up room for a WR acquisition of their own?
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Believes KC Has Enough Talent at WR
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the media on October 30, following the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“I do,” Big Red responded after being asked if he believes KC has enough talent at wide receiver.
“It was a combination of things,” the Chiefs HC explained. “One of those where we were kind of chasing… starting with me with a play-call — whether it was the play that was called was okay but we had a breakdown in protection, whether the protection was good and the play was good, receiver dropped the ball or we didn’t make the right read from our quarterback side, or we were running a wrong route.”
“It was one of everything,” Reid summed up, reiterating that he had not “seen” these mistakes from this collective group of offensive players before.
He also took responsibility once again, stating: “Somewhere I didn’t get that point across to the guys.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the Chiefs actually believe they have the right pieces at wide receiver in 2023 — or if that’s just the story they’re telling media and fans.
Cardinals WR Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown Still an ‘On-Field Fit’ for Chiefs via Trade
Goldman wrote an article sharing some realistic WR trade options for the Chiefs ahead of the October 31 deadline.
One of the names he mentioned was a player we’ve heard before: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
“Brown is quietly a really good option for Kansas City from an on-field fit,” Goldman began.
Unfortunately, the reporter also acknowledged that the Arizona Cardinals playmaker is “not a good fit from a financial perspective.”
“The Cardinals would need to take on some of his 2023 salary (over $13 [million]) and that means the Chiefs would likely have to give up more draft capital than they want,” he explained. “On the flip side, he’s been a trusted target for Josh Dobbs so far this season.
Brown “has 244 snaps aligned wide with 38 receptions for 416 yards and four touchdowns,” according to Goldman.
Shervon Fakhimi of Clutch Points connected Brown to KC as well, voicing that the deal would “make a lot of sense.”
“[The Cardinals] want to gather as many assets and draft picks as possible,” Fakhimi wrote on October 13. “With Hollywood Brown on an expiring contract, he’s a logical spot to start.”
Obviously, the Chiefs match up from an outside need perspective at WR.
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