Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reacts on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is not averse to making moves that he thinks will help his team win.
Especially ones that are low risk, high reward.
Even though the two-time defending Super Bowl champions were the lone unbeaten left in the NFL, and remain that way as they head into Monday night’s game against Tampa Bay, the Chiefs’ front office knew they could be better. What are likely season-ending injuries to their two best wide receivers left Patrick Mahomes with a bunch of journeymen alongside Travis Kelce, while a pass rush had been merely marginal when it needed to be exceptional thanks to an injury in the secondary.
Veach took care of the first problem by trading a conditional fifth-round draft pick to the Titans for DeAndre Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro wide receiver. And he addressed the second this past week, sending a sixth-round pick in 2026 to the Patriots for Josh Uche, a 2020 second-round pick with a propensity for getting after the quarterback.
“I think there’s always room to get better,” Veach said of his roster-building philosophy at the conclusion of training camp, “and I think we wouldn’t be doing our job if we weren’t continually combing through the waiver wire and the transactions.”
Or working the phones midseason in order to strike a deal.
Three years ago, the Chiefs sent offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets amid a series of moves that ultimately landed them pass rusher Melvin Ingram. Two years ago, it was third- and sixth-rounders sent to the Giants for wide receiver Kadarius Toney. And last season, it was a sixth-rounder to the Jets for wide receiver Mecole Hardman and a seventh-round pick.
Each of those deals helped the Chiefs make at least the AFC title game. The past two years, they resulted in Super Bowl rings.
And while neither Toney, who was cut before this season, nor Hardman will ever be considered a game-changing star, both played important roles in landing those two Lombardi Trophies. Toney caught the go-ahead touchdown pass against the Eagles, then returned a punt moments later 65 yards to set up another score, in a 38-35 victory. Hardman had the winning touchdown catch against the 49ers in overtime this past February.
Now it’s up to Hopkins and Uche to deliver for Kansas City.
Hopkins wasted no time getting Chiefs fans excited last week, catching a pair of passes for 29 yards and playing nearly a third of their offensive snaps against Las Vegas, even though he had just two practices following his trade from Tennessee.
It’s not just that he helps a group missing the injured Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice, either. It’s that his skill set is perfectly suited to the Chiefs, who needed a veteran player with a big catch radius to help in two distinct areas: the red zone, where they kick far too many field goals, and underneath the shell coverages that teams employ against them.
“He’s a good football player. Being able to fit in more will even be better, I think, as we go forward here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He was chomping at the bit on the sideline wanting to play and at the same time, knowing that he didn’t have all of it down so there was a patience there, but he was into the game and I think you’ll be able to see more this next game.”
Uche will have three practices under him in Kansas City before taking the field with the Chiefs on Monday night.
He is not expected to have nearly as important of a role as Hopkins on the defense, instead rotating with pass rushers such as George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, but he gives coordinator Steve Spagnuolo another option to pressure the quarterback — important given the season-ending injury to cornerback Jaylen Watson.
“I mean it helps the secondary, any pressure that you can put on the quarterback,” Reid said. “That will be a nice addition, too, going forward. We understand that you if you take care of business up front, it helps everybody.”
Even better is that the two recent acquisitions came at little cost to Kansas City.
The Chiefs only needed to send a fifth-round pick to Tennessee for Hopkins. And while it could become a fourth-rounder if he plays 60% of snaps and the Chiefs make the Super Bowl, that’s still a small price to play to return to the big game.
The Titans also are paying part of Hopkins’ salary, and the Chiefs have no financial commitment beyond this year.
The sixth-rounder they sent to the Patriots for Uche was an even bigger bargain. He is also due to become a free agent, and if Uche signs elsewhere after the season, the Chiefs would likely get a compensatory pick — essentially trading the sixth-rounder for a seventh-rounder while getting a pass rusher who could help them win another championship.
“I wanted to get the most juice out of the game that I possibly could. When I got traded — or I heard I was getting traded — here, I was excited,” Uche said this week, “because I feel like this scheme, this team, this organization is definitely going to help me maximize my potential being 26 years old, and I’m just excited.”
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