Adam Teicher, ESPN Workers Author
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs have a knack for getting midseason trades for vast receivers proper.
In 2022, they despatched a few draft picks to the New York Giants for Kadarius Toney, who within the fourth quarter of Tremendous Bowl LVII in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles scored a landing and arrange one other with a protracted punt return.
Final season the acquisition was Mecole Hardman from the New York Jets. Hardman caught the landing go in extra time to safe the Chiefs a Tremendous Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
These trades have a approach of understanding the way in which the Chiefs intend, which is why they tried it once more this season by making a deal Wednesday with the Tennessee Titans for DeAndre Hopkins, whom they acquired for a conditional fourth-round choose.
It is going to take much more from the 32-year-old Hopkins, who in contrast to Toney or Hardman is a longtime if growing older star, to make this commerce work within the Chiefs’ favor. The Toney deal was aimed extra on the future, to assist bolster a receiving group within the wake of the Tyreek Hill commerce. That half did not work out so nicely for the Chiefs, who launched Toney on the finish of coaching camp this 12 months.
Hardman was acquired for depth. The Chiefs want Hopkins to be their No. 1 vast receiver by the playoffs — if not sooner.
The preliminary candidates to be the highest wideout, Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown, are out with accidents. Rice is completed for the season with a proper knee damage. Brown, who suffered a sternoclavicular damage throughout the preseason, might return by the postseason.
Earlier than the Hopkins commerce, the Chiefs had been left at vast receiver with Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, Hardman and Skyy Moore. At this level of their careers, at the least, there is not a No. 1 vast receiver in that bunch.
Worthy, the Chiefs’ 2024 first-round draft choose, might ultimately get to that time however for now he is a 21-year-old rookie. He is been what the Chiefs anticipated at this stage of his profession, which is a high-impact however low-volume receiver. He has 15 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 13.2 yards per catch.
Smith-Schuster has a hamstring damage that popped up in apply final week and knocked him out within the first quarter final week in opposition to the 49ers. The Chiefs have mentioned he will not play on Sunday in Las Vegas in opposition to the Raiders. He will likely be again later within the season, however the Chiefs did not carry him again with the expectation of being their No. 1 wideout. Regardless of his current massive recreation in opposition to the New Orleans Saints, he is extra of a complementary participant.
Watson and Hardman additionally match into the complementary class. Moore has produced little since becoming a member of the Chiefs in 2022.
So Hopkins cannot be a gadget piece unveiled on particular performs tailor-made for him, as Toney was. He cannot be a backup who on the ultimate play of final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl was in the correct place on the proper time, as Hardman was. He has to provide massive numbers, which he has previously. Hopkins has had 1,000 or extra yards receiving in seven of his 11 seasons within the league together with final season with the Titans. He’s additionally a five-time first- or second-team All-Professional.
The Chiefs made it to 6-0 with this group of receivers. However giving it a extra crucial eye, as normal supervisor Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid are paid to do, did they’ve sufficient to beat a sequence of top-quality opponents within the postseason?
By making the Hopkins commerce, the Chiefs gave their reply on that query loud and clear. Whether or not the Chiefs ultimately look again on this commerce favorably — and extra importantly whether or not they win an unprecedented third straight Tremendous Bowl championship — is determined by Hopkins and what they’ll get from him.
