The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 bye week is over, as head coach Andy Reid’s Monday press conference marked the start of Week 7 in KC.
Within the media session, there was a question centered around the idea of a wide receiver addition via trade, and how important “familiarity” will be when looking at different potential pass-catching options ahead of the deadline.
“I think that [familiarity] helped JuJu [Smith-Schuster] and his situation coming back in and jumping in,” Reid replied. “It helped Mecole [Hardman] coming back [in 2023], but I’m not telling you other guys can’t come in and help out. That’s not — I don’t think that’s an issue.”
“It’s just going to take [a newcomer] a little bit longer to figure it out and get on the same page with Pat [Mahomes] and all those things,” the Chiefs HC acknowledged. “It just won’t be quite as good as what you’ve seen with these other guys that have been in it.”
The Chiefs’ offensive system thrives on trust and experience under Reid. It’s a complex playbook with route concepts that certain wide receivers never quite understand, but it’s also a scheme that some appear to fit into perfectly — like a round peg in a round hole.
Smith-Schuster is a nice example of that, as Reid mentioned, but we’ve also seen certain WR draft picks fit better than others — like Rashee Rice and Tyreek Hill compared to Skyy Moore or Cornell Powell.
Reid made sure to add that “I’m not saying that we need to bring anybody else in” at wide receiver. “You asked the question,” he noted with a smile. “I’m just saying that I’m answering your question on that.”
Chiefs Community ‘Argues’ About Current WR Corps
The Chiefs wide receiver corps was also talked about during the most recent edition of Arrowhead Pride’s “Let’s Argue” with Mark Gunnels on October 12.
“The Chiefs will be just fine with their current WR room….” A fan argued on X.
Below was the response from Gunnels:
The keyword here is fine. Assuming the wide receiver room does not sustain more injuries, I agree that it will be fine during the regular season. You have to assume [Xavier] Worthy continues to get better as the season goes on. JuJu Smith-Schuster has found the fountain of youth, and Justin Watson is always steady. Now, I do believe [Chiefs general manager Brett] Veach still makes a trade. They don’t need a superstar like a Davante Adams, but bringing in a guy like Amari Cooper or Diontae Johnson would be enough. Just having another reliable guy in the room who can move the chains would be crucial.
Chiefs’ Andy Reid Addresses Red Zone Issues on Offense
Another veteran wide receiver could help the offense in multiple ways, including inside the red zone. Reid discussed KC’s early season red zone problems on October 14.
“We can do a better job of not stopping ourselves and with things — whether it’s penalties or dropped balls,” he said.
Continuing: “Schematically, we go back and we hammer through that, and we can help out the guys in some of the [problem] areas too there. Just put him in a little bit better position. But the things that are hurting us right now, which are obvious, but the penalty situation’s hurting us, and we’ve got to take care of that. That’s something we can control and focus in on, do a better job with.”
Per Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney, “the Chiefs are 29th in red-zone touchdown percentage [at their bye week], converting for six points just 38.9% of the time. Only the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots — who have combined for six wins — are worse.”
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