KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach must find help at wide receiver to force defenses to respect an option outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs weren't able to recover from the loss of Sammy Watkins, which caused the offense to sputter at times. That probably means finding some established help to get the offense back on track.
Below, "4th & 1" podcast analyst Nick Jacobs lays out the best fits for the Chiefs' offense.
His criteria include receivers who catch the ball cleanly, provide speed or physical route-running over the middle, or blend athletic ability with size in an effort to make better use of jump balls in the red zone.
Best free-agent WR fits for Chiefs
1. Davante Adams, Packers
Green Bay star Davante Adams is arguably the best receiver in the league and could potentially hit the open market. He has tremendous explosiveness and can gain serious yards after the catch, capable of taking it the distance on any play.
Adams is a polished route-runner and understands how to create separation with all the nuances in his fakes. He has great releases off the line and is a physical receiver.
Adams also makes contested catches look routine. He attacks the football and doesn’t give away clues to opposing cornerbacks on when the ball is coming until it is too late.
Adams, who is probably in line for his largest career pay day at 29, also tracks and adjust to the football extremely well. He likely has two to three more years before any decline becomes noticeable.
2. Mike Williams, Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers star Mike Williams is the perfect complement to Hill. He has great size and speed to go with a great catch radius.
Williams can run away from some defenders and is a willing to get physical with corners. He also has an outstanding vertical and can box defenders out.
Williams would be a serious red-zone threat and cause matchup nightmares alongside Kelce and Hill, though he will likely cost $20 million a year with his skill set, which includes an outstanding ability to adjust and track the ball.
3. Odell Beckham Jr., Rams
Before his knee injury in the Super Bowl, Odell Beckham Jr. had worked his way back to the dynamic receiver many remember from when he entered the NFL with the New York Giants.
He looked explosive and made tough catches look routinely.
Beckham can adjust better than most receiver in the league when tracking the football, making minor adjusts to keep good position for the catch.
The concern, of course, is how well and how quickly Beckham will recover from a second torn ACL in the same knee within 16 months. He may not regain his previous form until 2024 when he will be 30.
4. Juju Smith-Schuster, Steelers
Mercurial Pittsburgh standout Juju Smith-Schuster is capable of playing outside, but he really shines as a slot receiver. His athletic ability and route-running stand out over the middle.
Smith-Schuster is able to set corners and safeties up well with his plants, head fakes and selling alternate routes. Smith-Schuster knows how to create space and catch the ball cleanly. He is a physical presence over the middle and will stiff arm a defender if given the chance.
5. Cedrick Wilson Jr., Cowboys
Dallas' Cedrick Wilson Jr. is a versatile receiver who could play outside and in the slot. He is an athletic mismatch at both spots and fearless catching the football over the middle.
Wilson would cause opposing defenses serious problems with his explosiveness and catch radius in the Chiefs' system. He has the quick-twitch ability as an athlete to make defenders miss and get open with good vision in the open field.
6. Michael Gallup, Cowboys
Another Dallas free-agent, Michael Gallup, was a tough and physical "X" receiver before his ACL injury. He made a lot of contested catches look normal.
Gallup lacked top-end speed before the injury, so any deal would likely need to be a prove-it contract with incentives.
7. Allen Robinson, Bears
Former Jacksonville and Chicago receiver Allen Robinson is one of the better route-runners in the league. He does the small stuff right and sets up his fakes well.
Robinson reads cornerbacks and manipulates them to get the cushion or releases he wants. He isn’t as explosive as he once was, but he can be a good possession receiver with a great vertical to get the jump ball.
However, Robinson didn’t mesh well with senior offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy in Chicago based on some of his comments.
8. DJ Chark, Jaguars
Jacksonville's DJ Chark reminds me a lot of what most were hoping former Chiefs receiver Chris Conley would become, a good possession receiver who can outstretch defenders with his long arms to high point the football.
Chark lacks breakaway speed, but he is comfortable making contested catches. He still needs a receivers coach to help him maintain patience when selling routes to create space.
9. Christian Kirk, Cardinals
Arizona's Christian Kirk doesn’t have a ton of strength to fight through physical coverage, so it can be easy to disrupt him and he lacks the tools to break away from it.
Kirk is at his best on straight-line and vertical routes, but he struggles with precision on crossing and out routes. He can sit down in voids, but struggles to accelerate after.
He wouldn’t be worth a huge investment and Kansas City already has a better version of him on the roster, though Byron Pringle also is a free agent.
10. Braxton Berrios, Jets
New York Jets receiver Braxton Berrios is only 5 feet, 9 inches, but he has good speed — though he lacks the top end Hill or Mecole Hardman Jr. bring.
Still, Berrios is tough and willing to make the catch over the middle, is a quality special-teams performer, and a great kick and punt returner.
The Jets used him more as a gimmick receiver.
11. Marquez Valdes-Scatling, Packers
Another of Aaron Rodgers' targets in Green Bay, Marquez Valdes-Scatling has the speed and size most teams would love. He shines on his vertical routes with his straight-line speed.
Where he has hiccups is his ability to beat physical coverage.
Valdes-Scatling also tends to body-catch too much versus attacking the football and catching it cleanly. He would be a mismatch as the four, but his route-running might limit him to more of DeMarcus Robinson-type versus a starter.
12. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers
Tampa Bay standout Chris Godwin's ACL and MCL repair is going to be a concern for the next year as he recovers. The money he will command is probably too rich for the Chiefs given the unknown about his recovery.
But if the deal is right, Godwin makes a lot of contested catches to go with good explosiveness and ability to separate after the catch is made. He's not great against press coverage, but he does a good job finding the void against zone.
13. Jamison Crowder, Jets
Another free-agent from the New York Jets, Jamison Crowder has lost some of his burst from his days at Duke.
He still vertical explosion but struggles to gain separation horizontally on routes. Crowder also is undersized for the slot role and might become injury-prone during the season.
14. James Washington, Steelers
Smith-Schuster's teammate in Pittsburgh, James Washington, is another big-bodied receiver who can make the contested catches but lacks top end speed.
He has a great vertical to climb the ladder on tight throws.
15. Isaiah McKenzie, Bills
Buffalo's Isaiah McKenzie is a great returner on special teams. He fits more into a gimmicky role, a la Hardman, who is actually faster than him, but McKenzie will make tough grabs and is willing to take some licks in bounds and over the middle.
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Some key NFL dates to remember:
- March 8: NFL teams must make franchise-tag decisions by 3 p.m. Central;
- March 14: Teams are allowed to begin negotiating with free agents at 11 a.m. during the "legal tampering period;"
- March 16: The 2022-23 NFL League Year officially begins at 3 p.m. Central, allowing players and teams to execute new contracts.
