Despite being the only undefeated team in the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have been active on the market. And with the trade deadline right around the corner, the franchise has been encouraged to target a New Orleans Saints star to continue helping Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report suggests Kansas City should upgrade its secondary by going after Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. With both Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson on the sidelines, the team could use another CB alongside Trent McDuffie.
“The Chiefs already swung a big move to make the trade when they acquired DeAndre Hopkins ahead of the deadline, however, they have enough salary cap flexibility to make another move,” Ballentine wrote. “Going after a historic third Super Bowl could be motivation enough to really sell out and make an aggressive move. Trading the Saints for Marshon Lattimore would certainly qualify. The talented corner could be inserted into the lineup to replace Jaylen Watson, who was just placed on injured reserve. The Saints have strong depth at cornerback and a messy cap situation so trading Lattimore wouldn’t be surprising.”
Reid made it clear to the front office that he trusted in his in-house options to replace Watson. But with Johnson entering the concussion protocol and Joshua Williams struggling to perform, it’d make sense for the Chiefs to bring in a new face.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Lattimore would definitely give the defense a boost. Money wouldn’t be a problem this year, as he counts only $1.2m in base salary for the 2024 NFL season. The 28-year-old will carry more money in the next years though, and since the Chiefs already let L’Jarius Sneed go in the offseason, it’s fair to wonder whether they’ll commit to spend on another CB. We should also keep in mind that the front office has already given up many of its late draft picks in recent trades, so we’ll have to wait and see whether Lattimore is a real possibility.
Chiefs have been helping Reid, Mahomes before NFL trade deadline
Since the NFL trade deadline is on November 5, the Chiefs still have time to make at least one more move in the 2024 NFL season. The question is whether they still feel the need to add more players.
Shortly after landing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last week, the Chiefs made yet another big trade on Monday by getting former New England Patriots defensive end/linebacker Joshua Uche.
Therefore, the Chiefs have already helped Reid and Mahomes by improving on both sides of the ball. While D-Hop was a necessary addition to help the quarterback after countless offensive injuries, Uche could boost a defense that has been saving the offense this season.
The Chiefs made a smart and necessary move by creating $5.3 million in cap space with right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s restructured deal, but the Uche trade still leaves room for more players on a cheap salary.