The Kansas City Chiefs fell to 2-3 after a disappointing loss to the Jaguars on Monday, and with a huge matchup against the Lions coming up, the panic meter in KC is as high as it has ever been in recent years. With the concern level understandably soaring, Chiefs fans want some changes. That could include a change at kicker, giving more snaps to underutilized backups, or being active on the trade market and free agency to bolster the depth. One thing GM Brett Veach and the front office can’t do, however, is make a panic move.
Signing Odell Beckham Jr., who said that he would love to join the Chiefs on Tuesday, would fall under that category. The veteran wide receiver listed the Steelers, Rams, and the Giants, along with the Chiefs, as the four franchises he would love to play for after stating his desire to return to the NFL this season.
Chiefs Need to Focus on Defense Before Thinking About Offensive Upgrades
At this stage of his career, Beckham’s on-field performance is nowhere near his reputation. About to turn 33 in November, OBJ’s last stint in the NFL was a disaster. After signing a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, Beckham quickly had a fallout that resulted in his eventual release. This limited his appearances to nine games, finishing with nine catches for 55 yards.
If one squints hard enough, one could still see an impactful player in Beckham. It wouldn’t be too difficult for a team to convince itself that Beckham could be a decent depth piece. He was effective in his time with the Rams and the Ravens. For a desperate team, he could still make some sense.
For the Chiefs, however, adding a WR like Beckham doesn’t address any of their concerns. In fact, the Chiefs don’t have a quality or depth issue in their WR room, especially with Rashee Rice returning from his suspension after Week 6. Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Rice are a solid starting group, with Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster as more than capable backup WRs. It’s hard to see Beckham having a big enough role among that group to keep him happy.
The Chiefs have bigger issues on the defensive side of the ball through five weeks. While there are certainly improvements needed on offense, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit has been the larger concern. The Chiefs allow the seventh-most yards per carry and rank in the bottom ten in pass rush and run defense grades per Pro Football Focus. Instead of wasting time on the offense, the Chiefs need to look for ways to get back to their elite defense from the past two seasons.
