The Kansas City Chiefs are going all in on bolstering a floundering wide receiver corps around Patrick Mahomes, after trading for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins Wednesday.
Hopkins immediately adds another playmaker to a Chiefs’ offense that has been desperately looking for a top of the depth chart receiver to emerge this season, in the immediate aftermath of Patrick Mahomes posting a 44.4 passer rating in Sunday’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
As the Chiefs prepare for their seventh game of the season this weekend, the only player currently on the roster to surpass 200 receiving yards is tight end Travis Kelce.
That will likely change, and quickly, once Hopkins surges to the top of the depth chart beginning Sunday afternoon against the Chiefs.
“The Chiefs needed to replace Kelce’s diminishing production,” an NFL executive tells me. “Hard to find receivers with speed and they must develop Xavier Worthy, and hope Rashee Rice comes back if they have any real chance this year.”
Kelce, 35, while still putting up productive numbers, has looked much less like the dynamic and game-altering playmaker he has been through much of his career as Father Time seems to be catching up to the All-Pro tight end.
Hopkins lands in Kansas City after being charged with just one dropped pass this season, despite dealing with mediocre quarterback play from Mason Rudolph and Will Levis during his time in Tennessee, and instantly becomes Kansas City’s fifth-leading receiver.
It isn’t difficult to envision Hopkins inheriting some of the targets previously earmarked for Kelce, while adding balance to a Chiefs offense in desperate need of it.
Through his first 11-plus seasons, Hopkins has caught 943 passes for 12,528 yards and 79 touchdowns, but now arrives in what has the potential to be the most prolific quarterback situation of his career, in an offense called by Andy Reid who has no shortage of creativity when it comes to manufacturing big play opportunities.