Things continue to change in the NFL in the blink of an eye. In a shocking turn of events, Tyreek Hill was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks after contract extension talks stalled.
Hill was reportedly given permission to seek for a trade on Wednesday and it didn’t take long for him to find a new destination. He is now set to join the powerful offensive group in South Florida along the likes of Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki.
While Tua Tagovailoa‘s ability to make the best out of this remains to be seen, the Chiefs need to get to work to not miss Hill too much. Here we break down the alternatives they might explore to fill in the huge vacancy at WR1.
Chiefs might explore these options to replace WR Tyreek Hill
Before they let Cheetah leave, Kansas City had previously brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster. However, the Chiefs are expected to add more wide receivers for the 2022 season and these are their options:
Free agency: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero free agent WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling is making a visit to Kansas City the exact same date Hill was traded. In four seasons with the Green Bay Packers Valdes-Scantlingrecorded 13 touchdowns in 59 games. The2021 season was complicated for him, though, as he played only 11 games due to injury.
Draft picks
Thanks to their latest trade with the Dolphins, the Chiefs willhave consecutive picks in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. That means they could make the best out of them by selecting their next wide receiver, either by waiting for their turns or making new trades to climb positions. Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, and Drake London could be among thefavorite prospects at the position.
Promote from within
Besides JuJu, the Chiefs’ core of wide receivers would beMecole Hardman, Josh Gordon, Justin Watson, Cornell Powell, Dieter Gehrig, and Corey Coleman. Even though they’ll likely add players at the position, Hardman for instance could have more playing time.