The Kansas City Chiefs need to upgrade at the wide receiver position like Ultron needs to upgrade his armor in the upcoming "Avengers" film. Not a single KC wide receiver managed to catch a touchdown all of last year. That's bad.
Due to their immense need at the position, the Chiefs have been repeatedly linked to free agents such as Jeremy Maclin and Randall Cobb. KC head coach Andy Reid drafted Maclin when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles, after all. But are those players nothing more than a pipe dream for the cash strapped Chiefs?
"The Jeremy Maclin-to-KC link makes sense due to familiarity, but not much financially," Sam Robinson of ProFootballRumors.com wrote. "With Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant off the market via franchise tag, Maclin and Randall Cobb, should the Eagles and Packers not tag them, will battle for top billing. The Chiefs do not have the resources to go after him and are not typically big spenders or a sought-after destination."
Kansas City is slated to have around $4.5 million in salary cap space when free agency opens on March 10. That number could rise if the team decides to part ways with aging veterans such as Dwayne Bowe and Tamba Hali, but it still may not open up enough cap space. So if the Chiefs can't target the top guys, who can it go after?
"Players like Cecil Shorts, Eddie Royal, or even Kenny Britt make more sense, Royal in particular with his flashes as a catch-and-run threat," Robinson wrote. "Shorts with a quarterback upgrade would help, but should either Cobb or Maclin go off the market via tag or long-term deal, Britt's price tag may exceed buy-low territory."
Chiefs fans may have to lower their free agent expectations given the team's tight cap situation. However, Kansas City could find a young and talented wide receiver in a draft that is deep at the position.
"While Amari Cooper, Kevin White and Devante Parker are probably gone by the top KC picks at No. 18, Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, Michigan's Devin Funchess or Dorial Green-Beckham, who would be a risky boom-or-bust pick after his Missouri exit, will likely be available," Robinson wrote.
Green-Beckham has been linked to the Chiefs more than once over the past few months. He comes with off-field concerns but also great size and speed at the position.
Kansas City knows it needs to add talented pass catchers. How exactly the team will go about doing that this offseason is anyone's guess at this point.
