Aside from Xavier Worthy, no receiver stepped up for the Chiefs in their Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished the game with 257 passing yards but 2 picks aswell. Now almost a month removed from the heartbreaking finish, the Chiefs will look towards the draft and free agency to scope out new talent to replace 2 wide receivers who are most likely leaving the team.
Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins were both brought in to supply Kansas City with some much needed offensive firepower. While Brown was signed in free agency over the summer, Hopkins came in through a midseason trade with the Tennessee Titans, with the hope that he could bring some veteran experience and knowledge to a team who had just lost their star receiver, Rashee Rice.
Now that the season is over, both receivers seem like they’re on the move. Both Hopkins and Brown are one of the most talented free agents in this cycle, and it’s already clear that many teams are after them. So, who do the Chiefs need to replace them?
There’s three different “archetypes” of receiver that the Chiefs could look into: deep threat, contested catcher, and experienced veteran.
Deep Threat
While it may be nice for the Chiefs to grab another player who can stretch the field, they already have that with Xavier Worthy. Worthy is the fastest player to ever play in the NFL according to the 40-yard dash. He showed it in Super Bowl LIX, where he caught a 24-yard and a 50-yard touchdown.
Contested Catcher
This is your George Pickens, D.K. Metcalf, Drake London types. While they may catch a deep bomb every now and then, you can throw it to them anywhere, anytime, and there’s a good chance they come down with it no matter the circumstance. With Travis Kelce returning fpr another season, and Rashee Rice back to being healthy, I think the Chiefs already have the size for Mahomes to be comfortable throwing those 50-50 balls.
Experienced Veteran
This is exactly who DeAndre Hopkins was to the Chiefs. While he did produce some big plays and crucial catches, his real value came with his knowledge. Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice are still very young, and having a veteran like Hopkins that they can learn from is integral to their development later on. This is the kind of receiver the Chiefs should target.