The Kansas City Chiefs started their ambitious quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl win on the right foot, staying unbeaten in five weeks of the 2024 NFL season. However, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are already facing a challenging scenario with key injuries in offense.
The Chiefs’ wide receiver room looks a bit short now that both Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashee Rice are on the sidelines, leaving Mahomes without his primary pass catchers.
Still, Kansas City may have an easy opportunity to add depth at the position with a familiar face. On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills released wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was part of the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl wins.
The 30-year-old’s time in Buffalo didn’t go to plan, as he made just two catches after being targeted only nine times by Josh Allen. His release came after the Amari Cooper trade, which saw the Bills leave the Chiefs without a potential target to help Mahomes.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling #11 of the Kansas City Chiefs makes a catch against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Valdes-Scantling’s performance with Mahomes on Reid’s Chiefs
While Valdes-Scantling wouldn’t be much of an improvement to the Chiefs‘ current WR room, we’re talking about a player who’s very familiar with Reid and Mahomes’ offense.
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In the 2023 NFL season, the wideout caught 21 passes for 315 yards with a touchdown before making eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs. In 2022, the Florida native recorded a career-high 42 receptions for 687 yards and two touchdowns before producing 122 yards in seven catches to find the end zone twice in the postseason.
Valdes-Scantling’s return may not be the blockbuster move many Chiefs fans would expect to fill in the hole left by Brown and Rice’s injuries, but it’s a move that the team can afford.
Chiefs not expected to make big move at WR
Not only does it make sense from a financial standpoint — the Chiefs don’t have many trade asset and their cap space left is roughly above $4m — but also from a team perspective, since Reid has already hinted it’d be better to sign a player who’s familiar with the scheme.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talks with head coach Andy Reid before Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Chiefs haven’t been so aggressive on the market for a wide receiver so far. The insider insisted that Reid likes players “who either have played in his system or know it well,” and that moves for the likes of DeAndre Hopkins or Diontae Johnson look unlikely. Instead, he suggested the return of Valdes-Scantling could be a real possibility.
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Reid’s thoughts on Chiefs’ WR situation
Reid made it clear to Mahomes after Rice’s injury that he doesn’t want the offense to depend solely on rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Last time out, Kansas City saw veteran wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster step up, with tight end Travis Kelce and running back Kareem Hunt also carrying the offense.
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Besides Worthy and Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs’ current options at wide receiver are Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, and Skyy Moore. Fans are a bit concerned about this, but not the head coach. Echoing comments from previous weeks, Reid let Brett Veach and Mahomes know he thinks highly of the Chiefs’ WR room.
