6 free agent wide receivers Chiefs can target after JuJu Smith-Schuster’s departure
The Kansas City Chiefs are in need of some wide receiver depth after the departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The team said goodbye to Smith-Schuster after just one season as he’s now set to join the New England Patriots. Reports indicate that Kansas City was hoping to be able to retain Smith-Schuster, but now they’ll pivot. They could attempt to re-sign some of their own free agents with Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson. They certainly won’t be able to find a 1-to-1 replacement out on the open market, but there are some intriguing players who are still available.
Who are some of the players they could target to add to the receiver room during the remainder of free agency? Here’s a look at six receivers (all 30 years old and under. Sorry Adam Theilen fans) who are still out there:
D.J. Chark
© Junfu Han / Detroit Free Press
Fresh off a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions, Chark will be looking for another short-term contract in free agency. He missed seven weeks with injury last season, but when he was on the field he was extremely effective for Detroit. The 26-year-old averaged 17.6 yards per reception, finishing the year with 30 catches for 502 yards and two touchdowns.
I think the big thing here will be getting Chark in the door to check on his health before you sign him to a deal. Even at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he isn’t going to be doing the same things that JuJu Smith-Schuster did in this offense. He is more of a downfield threat than Smith-Schuster ever was for Kansas City.
Parris Campbell
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Campbell has dealt with a litany of injuries during his time in the NFL, so this is another one that you’re going to want to bring in for a visit before you sign them. Last season was Campbell’s healthiest and it showed in his performance on the field. He caught a career-high 63 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games started last year. That’s all with a very washed-up Matty Ice and all of the Colts’ head-coaching dysfunction.
While there is some ability to play the deep ball with Campbell, he’s also a player who can excel at some of the intermediate stuff. For instance, some of those tough catches across the middle of the field on mesh that Smith-Schuster used to make for Kansas City. It feels like he could be a bit of a hidden gem at just 25 years old.
Darius Slayton
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Listed at 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds, Slayton has recently been tied to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. He’s coming off of a productive season where he managed 46 catches for 724 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a different flavor compared to JuJu Smith-Schuster, but his consistent production over the past four seasons is certainly intriguing. He’s going to give you more of a deep threat who can win 1-on-1 matchups on the outside.
It might not be a great idea to get in a bidding war with the Giants and Falcons for Slayton’s services, especially if he’s looking for a long-term deal. That said, he’s likely the player with the best recent production that is available in free agency.
Olamide Zaccheaus
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Here’s what we had to say about Zaccheaus in an earlier article:
A former undrafted free agent out of the University of Virginia in 2019, Zaccheaus is a player who was on the cusp of a breakout last year, but he was largely failed by his quarterback play. He finished the season with a career-high 40 receptions for 533 yards and three touchdowns, but it feels like a better QB situation could have seen an even more productive year for the wideout.
According to PFF’s Arjun Menon, Zaccheaus had 85 snaps last season where he was in single-man coverage. He defeated man coverage on 39 of those snaps, good for a 45.88% open rate. If Kansas City’s goal is to find more receivers who can beat single coverage when teams hone in on Travis Kelce, Zaccheaus should be at the top of their list and he probably won’t break the bank either.
Odell Beckham Jr.
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The Chiefs were among the teams in attendance for Odell Beckham Jr.’s recent private workouts, which by all accounts seemed to go well for the former first-round pick out of LSU.
Can’t lie it feels good to be where im at but even better to kno I got 5 months to get where I wanna be. This shxt ain’t easy and goin thru these is just taxing in every way. I just couldn’t let myself give up or go out like tht! I still got some to do.. let’s get it pic.twitter.com/awBE1ZgJHI
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 15, 2023
Kansas City was a team connected to Beckham last season when he was still recouping from his Super Bowl LVI knee injury. He’s four seasons removed from his last 1,000-yard receiving season, but Beckham caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns between the Rams and Browns in 2021. He also had 21 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs en route to the Super Bowl during which he was injured.
If Beckham can manage to stay healthy, it’s hard to see a situation in which he wouldn’t top those numbers with the Chiefs. He can make tough catches at every level of the field and would be a versatile weapon for Kansas City that could take some heat off of Travis Kelce.
Trent Sherfield
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After being primarily a special teamer, reserve and role player, Sherfield had a breakout campaign for the Dolphins in 2022. The 6-foot-1 and 219-pound wideout caught 30 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns on a team that featured both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. He’s proven to be a good blocker with strong hands who can play a variety of different roles on offense and special teams.
This is a signing that doesn’t seem like it’d break the bank for Kansas City. He’s a player who could contribute as a tertiary option to the primary pass catchers the team already has in the fold with the potential to grow and develop into something more.
