Recruiting on the offensive side of the ball did not seem to be a priority during this offseason.
However, the Kansas City Chiefs did sign two wide receivers last week, Sammie Coates and Davon Grayson, to reinforce the position.
The two wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins are among the league’s best starting receiver duos. Apart from those two players, however, the group of wide receivers is very young and inexperienced in Kansas City. Demarcus Robinson may be the most accomplished one and he does provide a good downfield passing option. Marcus Kemp and Gehrig Dieter have done a good job on special teams and should continue to get opportunities to have bigger roles in the offense.
So, is it such a weird move to look for another wide receiver or just a way for the Chiefs to part ways from Chris Conley? Indeed, Conley is a free agent now and he could get better opportunities to fly off towards new horizons in the league.
While Conley never had remarkable stats in Kansas City, he has been a solid backup receiver for Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, although guys like Robinson and Dieter did outperform him last season.
The Chiefs are set in the one and two spots at wide receiver with Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins filling those roles perfectly. Robinson and Dieter could be solid third and fourth options, but Coates could sneak his way having a good camp during the offseason.
Coates, a third-round draft choice from Auburn in 2015, is entering his fifth year in the league. He has spent the past four seasons with three different teams. His best year came in 2016 with the Steelers when he gathered 21 receptions for 435 yards and two touchdowns. Since then, Coates has played in 24 games. His last team was the Houston Texans, from where he got released last December.
Coates caught a 12-yard pass during his 37 offensive snaps, and he also was on the field for 137 special-teams plays, which could be a useful addition to Dave Toub’s unit. His most recent numbers are not big but he has qualities that Patrick Mahomes could enhance and take advantage of.
Unfortunately, many injuries kept him off the field and prevented him to perform properly during his career. While he has some experience under his belt, the Chiefs have plenty of talent in the wide receiver group so he will have to work hard to land on the 53-man roster before the season begins.
The Chiefs also signed wide receiver Davon Grayson, who is 23 years old and played college football at East Carolina.
Grayson went undrafted in 2018 out of Eastern Carolina. He signed with the Chiefs in May 2018, but the team later waived him with an undisclosed injury. He got then hired by the New York Giants, but the experience did not last long.
Grayson’s college stats are not spectacular, but in his senior season he was able to start 11 games and caught 59 passes for 886 yards and six touchdowns. However, he missed the entire previous season due to a back injury and has dealt with a number of other health concerns in his collegiate career.
The Chiefs have likely seen something to bring him to the roster twice, so the situation is worth monitoring.
While the defense needs considerable work, general manager Brett Veach cannot forget about the offense.
Why should the Chiefs invest in a wide receiver? To make sure there is no decrease in offensive production. With Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill in, the Chiefs had insane stats this last season, but Chris Conley and Demarcus Robinson were unable to pick up the slack when Watkins was out. Mahomes can make the players around him better, so getting a new and young talent at wide receiver is not such a bad idea.
The Chiefs have their reasons for signing each of the players above, and it will be interesting to see if any of them can last well into training camp and beyond.
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