The Kansas City Chiefs picked up a hard-fought 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, as the team is now 5-0 and are the runaway favorites to win the AFC West for the ninth year in a row.
Though Kansas City is one of the top teams in the league, the wide receivers room is extremely shaky for Andy Reid's squad due to season-ending injuries to Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown.
Rookie Xavier Worthy has flashed, and veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster had a 130-yard performance on Monday, but the Chiefs lack a true WR1 for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
With Kansas City's wide receivers unit needing another dynamic playmaker, The Draft Network's Justin Melo wants to see the team make a trade for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The Chiefs recently lost No. 1 receiver Rashee Rice for an extended period of time, possibly the entire campaign. Offseason signing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown also suffered a regular-season-ending injury earlier this year. Those two setbacks have catapulted rookie wideout Xavier Worthy to a larger role, one he's potentially not ready for.
Travis Kelce is the only reliable pass-catching weapon in Kansas City right now, and he's even beginning to show signs of decline. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach currently possesses just $4.1 million in effective cap space, per Spotrac, but Cooper's aforementioned cap charge is doable. Realistic financial gymnastics would allow the Chiefs to fit Cooper into their 2024 budget as they aim to three-peat as Super Bowl champions.
Though Cooper is off to a slow start for his standards, that should not stop general manager Brett Veach from aggressively pursuing the veteran pass-catcher.
Cooper's struggles aren't his fault, as Deshaun Watson is a bottom-five quarterback, which makes the Browns' offense extremely incompetent. The 30-year-old desperately needs a fresh start in the final prime years of his career.
Cooper has been one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL since entering the league in 2015, posting seven 1,000-yard seasons in his underrated career. The former Raider tallied a career-high 1,250 yards in 2023 with inconsistent quarterback play.
If paired with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, Cooper could rediscover his 2023 form and make the Chiefs the overwhelming favorites to complete the first three-peat in league history.
