The Kansas City Chiefs received some terrible injury news ahead of their Week 2 outing against the Cincinnati Bengals. They placed recently-acquired wide receiver Marquise Brown on injured reserve due to a shoulder issue.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid indicated on Friday that Brown’s recovery timeline is now months, not weeks.
Kansas City signed Brown away from the Arizona Cardinals in NFL free agency this past spring. The idea was for him to provide reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes more weapons on offense. That’s now not going to happen for the foreseeable future.
With Brown sidelined, the Chiefs’ wide receiver room becomes a major question mark. It currently consists of rookie Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Sure, depth is not much of an issue. But outside of Rice, there is not a top-flight receiver on the roster.
Could this lead to Chiefs general manager Brett Veach making a move at the all-important wide receiver position? We wouldn’t put it past him.
Related: Kansas City Chiefs standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver options following Marquise Brown injury news
- Corey Davis: This would be a buy-low option for the Chiefs. Davis came out of retirement recently after sitting out last season. The former top-five pick of the Tennessee Titans averaged 48 receptions for north of 700 yards from 2018-22. He’d probably be signed to the practice squad.
- Hunter Renfrow: It’s still surprising to see that this former 1,000-yard receiver with the Las Vegas Raiders remains a free agent. Back in 2020, he caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards while hauling in 80.5% of his targets. Renfrow would be a great option for Kansas City out of the slot.
- Marquise Goodwin: This former track star last suited up with the Cleveland Browns in 2023, catching a mere four passes for 67 yards. Despite his lack of production, Goodwin’s speed could be valuable in Kansas City’s offense. Much like Davis, he’d likely head to the Chiefs’ practice squad.
- Adam Thielen: The Carolina Panthers are going nowhere fast. At 34, it remains to be seen if Thielen wants to be part of a long-term rebuild with the Panthers. He could demand to be moved ahead of the November NFL trade deadline. Thielen caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards last season with Carolina.