The Kansas City Chiefs may need to reload.
There’s no reason to believe that a full-fledged rebuild is ever necessary when Patrick Mahomes is behind center, but the Chiefs’ disastrous 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX could lead to some big changes in Kansas City the rest of the offseason.
Veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has already walked out the door via free agency, signing on to catch passes from Lamar Jackson with the Baltimore Ravens, and some other marquee players could also be on the move.
Could Kansas City Chiefs Make an NFL Draft Blockbuster Trade?
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach’s most important task during the draft is to dramatically bolster the offensive line in front of Mahomes, in order to prop open Kansas City’s Super Bowl window, after the line was held together by duct tape, glue, and Joe Thuney (now a Chicago Bear) kicking out from guard to tackle last season.
One way Veach can fortify the line is to acquire draft capital in the coming weeks.
Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker put together a list of each team’s most valuable trade chip ahead of the NFL Draft, including Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
“The Chiefs are known for keeping their core starters in place,” Locker writes for PFF. “Particularly on defense, but this offseason has been fraught with change. That includes at cornerback with the signing of Kristian Fulton, which might not leave a clear future for a player like Watson.
“Watson’s 2024 season was limited by a broken leg, but he was a standout cover man with a 71.6 PFF coverage grade. However, Kansas City has several other young cornerbacks, including Chamarri Conner — who is more of a slot option — Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson. All of Watson, Williams and Johnson will be 2026 free agents, but Watson would be the most valuable if traded.”
Signing Fulton could telegraph a Watson trade, especially if the Chiefs are able to use him as a chip to move up in the draft to emerge with one of the premier offensive tackles.
However, given how dependent Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme is so dependent on the blitz and dominant play in the secondary, making that unit weaker via a trade could prove counterproductive to Kansas City remaining the team to beat in the AFC.
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